South Korean President Impeached

Park Geun-hye could always rely on one unwavering gift throughout a political career that saw a triumphant return as South Korea’s first female president to the palatial Blue House where she’d lived as a girl: She always enjoyed the reflected devotion, some might say worship, that half the country felt for her late dictator father.

President Park Geun-hye speaks at a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday after the passage of a bill to impeach her.

She would also lose presidential immunity from prosecution.

Although the national assembly voted to strip Park of her executive powers on Friday, activists say they intend to keep up the pressure with the impeachment still requiring final approval from the Constitutional Court-a process that could take months.

Protesters shout during a rally calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down in Seoul, South Korea.

At the heart of the case is her relationship with long-time friend Choi Soon-sil, who faces charges of coercion and abuse of power.

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As mandated by the constitution, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn steps in as acting president.

Chung also sent parliamentary officials to deliver copies of the impeachment motion and an official document on the motion’s passage to both the Blue House and the Constitutional Court.

An estimated 172 opposition and independent representatives are likely to vote in favor of impeaching the president, but that remains short of the required majority.

“We need to overcome the old establishment and create a new Republic of Korea by passing (the impeachment motion)”, Kim Kwan-young, an opposition lawmaker, said ahead of the vote, referring to South Korea’s formal name.

“I want to sincerely apologize to the people of the nation for this large-scale national chaos they’re experiencing due to my carelessness and deficiencies, especially amid the security and economic difficulties our country is now going through”, she said. Of 300 lawmakers, 234 voted for suspending Park from her position.

The impeachment is a remarkable fall for Park, who convincingly beat her liberal opponent in 2012.

The U.S. State Department said as much, in its reaction to Park’s impeachment: “We expect policy consistency and continuity across a range of fronts, including DPRK, other regional issues, and global economics and trade”.

Large numbers of protesters returned to the streets of Seoul on Sunday, marking Friday’s suspension of Park’s presidential powers with candlelit vigils, music, chanting and impromptu firework displays.

She is accused of helping her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, coerce South Korean companies into handing over tens of millions of dollars in donations to foundations run by Choi.

She’s been mired in a corruption scandal that tied her to the daughter of a religious cult leader, and it’s alleged that that person was able to wield a remarkable sway within the administration.

South Korea’s economic outlook is worsening too, in part due to the internal political uncertainty, as well as worries about the potential impact of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s policies on trade and foreign affairs.