S. Korean ruling party urges Park to quit in April

Officials added that there was an entry in the visitor’s register that read “Park Geun-hye, you should kill yourself, and stop disgracing your father’s name”, which the suspect wrote before committing his crime.

But others maintain the ruling and opposition party sides should at least try to negotiate toward an April resignation by Park.

“I will leave the matters about my fate, including the shortening of my presidential term, to be decided by the National Assembly”, Park said Tuesday in a live address to the nation, referring to parliament. Even the pro-Park faction has begun to call for her to resign “honorably”.

“I met with former Saenuri Chairman Kim Moo-sung earlier in the morning to check the willingness of the Park adversaries in the ruling party to cooperate with impeachment”, Choo said.

“This is nothing but a sly trick to avoid impeachment”, said Youn Kwan-suk, a spokesman for the main opposition Democratic Party.

“Merchants (here) supported me whenever I had difficulties and I’m really sorry”, Park said during her visit, according to her office.

Korea’s three opposition parties say there will be no negotiations on reducing President Park’s term – not about the timing nor method of her resignation.

Opposition parties have previously said a vote on Park’s impeachment would take place either on Friday or December 9, because parliamentary plenary sessions are already scheduled on those days.

While the politicians scramble to regroup, the president’s speech has angered many citizens.

Rep. Park of the People’s Party said the opposition parties need more time to persuade the Park adversaries in the Saenuri Party. This means navigating a splintered ruling party and the sometimes-conflicting views of various opposition parties. But she has done nothing to change the widespread feeling here that she must go.

If lawmakers fail to impeach her Friday, this may become especially clear on Saturday. A two-thirds majority of the 300-member legislature would need to vote for Park’s impeachment for it to pass, and the Constitutional Court would get 180 days to ratify the vote. Park has a record low approval rating of four percent, with millions demanding her removal from office.

What is the South Korea corruption scandal, why are there protests against President Park Geun-hye and who is Choi Soon-sil?

The embattled South Korean president announced Tuesday that she would make a public announcement amid a push by lawmakers for impeachment and growing public calls for her resignation. She herself was elected president in 2012 with a decisive 52 percent of the vote in a six-way race, including 80 percent in Daegu.

The 64-year-old served as first lady from the age of 22 – an experience she said helped her secure the vote when she ran for president – until her father’s death in 1979.

South Korean opposition parties differed on Thursday on when to bring an impeachment motion against scandal-tainted President Park Geun-hye and were far apart from her conservative party on her offer to quit. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon). The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held a so-called general strike on Wednesday to allow workers to let off steam, with 60,000 workers rallying around the country, including 22,000 in Seoul.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the leaders of three opposition parties rejected Park’s offer to resign and confirmed their intention to adopt a bill to impeach Park at the National Assembly on Friday.