South Korea Opposition Rejects Park’s Offer to Quit, Pushes Impeachment

Daegu is Park’s political home turf where she was elected as a national lawmaker four times before becoming president in 2013.

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

“Merchants here supported me whenever I had difficulties and I’m really sorry”, Park said during her visit, “I agonized a lot over whether I should come here in the current situation”.

She announced her willingness to resign Tuesday and put her fate in the hands of the National Assembly.

“According to the Constitution, the only possible option for shortening the president’s term is impeachment”. In a November 30 meeting at the National Assembly, leaders of the three main opposition parties reaffirmed their refusal to take part in bipartisan talks on curtailing Park’s term and made renewed calls for her unconditional departure.

What had seemed to be an inexorable legislative march toward impeachment has slowed, though it’s not yet clear how much. Over seven out of 10 respondents demanded the impeachment vote as scheduled.

Although the opposition parties still want to vote on an impeachment motion at a plenary session on Friday, they left open the possibility of delaying the vote to December 9 in order to recruit enough Saenuri dissidents to pass the motion.

While she retains the presidency, Park cannot be charged with a criminal offence except insurrection or treason, but she could be charged once she steps down. “She will accept a deal agreed to by the ruling and opposition parties”, he said. If she were removed from office, a presidential election would be held within 60 days.

So Park may have bought herself some time. The president claimed through a spokesman she would “fully cooperate with the team’s investigation, including face-to-face questioning”.

The scandal has sparked mass protests every Saturday in Seoul.

That seems different from the position of the Democratic Party, which, as of this morning, was still pushing for an impeachment vote tomorrow.

In the end, Park’s political machinations may only delay the inevitable. “Park Geun-hye!” and using cellphones to photograph her as she walked through the fire-ravaged shops.

Rift deepened among South Korean politicians over the ways to remove President Park Geun-hye after the embattled leader threw the ball of decision on her fate to parliament.

A majority of South Koreans looked further enraged by Park’s speech.

On Wednesday, the president appointed Park Young Soo, a lawyer and former chief of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office, as a special prosecutor to independently probe allegations that Park colluded with a female friend and enabled that friend to wield improper influence over government affairs.

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. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon). Shin said in a recent media interview that she performed her routine duties but didn’t see the president that day.

SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) – South Korean President Park Geun-hye has let lawmakers decide on her fate, but it kindled public confusion about what the embattled president meant to do with her national address over a scandal involving herself.