South Korean officials order Park confidante to attend corruption hearing

South Korea’s opposition pressed forward with plans for impeachment proceedings against Park Geun-hye on Friday, as an ally of the president said she was “ready” to face the vote.

“I told the President Park Geun-hye that we can follow the impeachment process as the Constitution says and, as a floor leader, I will let the members of the independent constitutional organization vote according to their free will”.

Park met leaders of her Saenuri party and top official Chung Jin-suk later said the president was willing to accept her party’s proposal that she step down in April – which has been rejected by the opposition – but gave no indication that she was willing to quit immediately.

Lee Jeong-hyeon, a ruling party lawmaker who attended the meeting, says it seems that Park hopes lawmakers will accept her resignation rather than push ahead with an attempt to impeach her.

Samsung Group leader Jay Y. Lee, who sat at the centre of the witness table, said Ms Park had asked him during one-on-one meetings for support for boosting cultural and sports-related developments but did not specifically request money. But a huge rally against the president on Saturday, the latest in a series of enormous weekly demonstrations, appears to have bolstered pro-impeachment sentiment in the National Assembly. Park could end up staying in office beyond that point, depending on how long it takes the court to hand down its ruling.

Even before the stunning fall of South Korea’s first female president over allegations that she ceded government power to a corrupt confidante, Park’s four years in office have been marred by a festering standoff with North Korea, a deadly ferry disaster and claims that she tried to curb free speech and labor rights.

A senior official in a Saenuri faction supporting Park’s removal said after a meeting on December 6 that “preparations are in place” for impeachment.

The stage is now set for the impeachment vote Friday. If the bill goes through, Park would be suspended as president but not yet removed.

From 1963 to 1979, Park Chung-hee guided South Korea’s rapid industrialisation – by any measure, an incredible success story. The court has up to 180 days to decide. Additionally, a failure to impeach her could turn the focus of public ire toward lawmakers on both sides.

Park’s longtime friend is also being investigated for allegedly funneling some of the funds from the foundations into her private businesses, for gaining access to classified government documents without holding a security clearance, and for exploiting her relationship with the president to gain lucrative contracts for herself and friends, as well as gaining her daughter admission into a prestigious university.

In addition to Lee seven other leaders from South Korea’s biggest business groups faced questions about their possible roles in the scandal involving Ms Park and Choi Soon-sil, her confidante. Choi has been indicted on a charge of extorting large sums from South Korean companies.

November 20: In indicting Choi and Park’s two former aides, state prosecutors say they believe the president was “collusively involved” in criminal activities by the suspects, who allegedly bullied companies into giving tens of millions of dollars to foundations and businesses Choi controlled, and enabled Choi to interfere with state affairs.

But Park faces much more serious accusations.

He also suggested Ms Choi controlled the President’s wardrobe choices, saying he provided Ms Choi with about 100 items of clothing and up to 40 bags that he saw Ms Park wearing in public.