South Koreans demand arrest of scandal-hit president

Cities across South Korea featured an increasingly familiar sight Saturday, as 2.3 million citizens nationwide reportedly rallied for a sixth weekend in a row to demand President Park Geun-hye’s resignation “immediately”.

The demonstration came hours after lawmakers formally began an attempt to impeach President Park Geun-hye and set up a floor vote for as early as Friday.

The Prosecutors’ Office considers Park an accomplice of Choi, who was allegedly involved in affairs of the state, though not holding any public office, and extorting substantial sums of money from companies she partially appropriated.

If Park is forced out of office or resigns, she will be the first democratically elected South Korean president not to serve a full term.

Police estimated the turnout in Seoul at 320,000, though the crowd appeared to be much larger, according to The Associated Press news agency.

But even if impeachment were approved by the assembly on Friday, Park would likely remain in office for some considerable time.

To file an impeachment bill, support from a majority of National Assembly members, or 151, is necessary.

The impeachment motion states that President Park comprehensively and gravely violated laws and the constitution in her office for almost four years.

As has happened the last five Saturdays, hundreds of thousands of people are again expected to choke downtown Seoul’s streets in a party-like atmosphere of defiance.

Park has denied wrongdoing but has apologised to the nation. They will need 28 members from the ruling Saenuri Party to bring the vote. Park and Choi are accused of pressuring South Korean businesses into giving tens of millions of dollars to foundations that Choi controlled.

The latest rally comes on the day that South Korea’s three opposition parties handed in an impeachment motion against Park for her suspected violations of the Constitution.

Park stopped short of specifying a date for her resignation, leading some breakaway members of her Saenuri Party to ask her to set a timeline for her departure.

Amid soaring public anger, the president said during her third public speech that she will actively cooperate with the investigation by a special prosecutor who will probe the case independently.

Some anti-Park parliament members from her own ruling party have called for her to announce by Wednesday, that she will step down voluntarily in April.

According to reports, the oppositions have made a decision to hold a parliamentary impeachment vote on Park on 9 December. It’s uncertain whether they will back the impeachment bill if she does. Park’s approval rating is now around four percent, and on November 29 she told South Korea’s main political parties to decide among themselves when and how she should vacate office in a way that avoids chaos and disruption.