Impeached S.Korean President To Gravely Accept Parliamentary Decision

They’re confident that they’ll get what they want Friday, the last day of the current parliamentary session, because dozens of members of Park’s ruling party have said they’ll vote against the woman who was once their standard bearer.

Park said she would accept the dismissal of parliament, as long as she will remain in the presidential office while the motion will be reviewed by the Constitutional Court.

November 4: Park in her second apology over the scandal expresses remorse and reaches out for sympathy, but denies that she was involved in any legal wrongdoing. He was in Peru last month for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which Park chose to skip amid the political turmoil, becoming the first South Korean president to miss the annual leaders’ meeting that began in 1993.

The confidante, Choi Soon-sil, the daughter of a cult leader who mentored Park before his death, has been indicted on a string of charges including abuse of authority and attempted fraud.

National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun made the announcement, saying that the lawmakers had an obligation to restore order and to continue to execute the functions of the government.

South Korea is entering potentially one of the most momentous weeks in its recent political history, with impeachment looming for Park as ruling party dissenters align with the opposition in a strengthening effort to force her out.

In 2004, when President Roh Moo-hyun was impeached by lawmakers, he spent his time at the Blue House reading books and newspapers and mountain-climbing with journalists, according to South Korean media. A constitutional court will now decide whether to remove from office the country’s first female leader, who’s been mired in a corruption scandal that has paralyzed the country’s political system.

In a first for a sitting South Korean president, Park has been named a “suspect” by prosecutors investigating the case.

The measure is coming up for a vote on Friday, a week and a half after Park said she would be willing to step down – but declined to resign.

The prime minister at the time, Goh Kun, said in a 2013 memoir that he had chose to stay “low key” while he held the reins of power. If the impeachment is supported by the court, a presidential election would be held within 60 days.

She also holds onto the title “President”. Most lawmakers left the hall quietly, though some could be seen taking selfies as they waited to vote.

October 25: Park publicly acknowledges her close ties with Choi, and says Choi helped her on speeches and public relations issues during her 2012 presidential campaign and after her 2013 inauguration.

Prime Minister Hwang, whose post is largely ceremonial, assumed interim presidential powers while the court deliberates.

A local pollster Real Meter, meanwhile, said 78.2 percent of South Koreans approved the impeachment poll this week, up 2.9 percentage points from a week earlier. She also offered three public apologies for not being aware that some of her close associates may have been involved in some wrongdoings.

A motion to impeach Park over a series of alleged violations of the Constitution and criminal laws was sponsored by 171 opposition and independent lawmakers and submitted to the National Assembly on Saturday.