(4th LD) Opposition parties officially pursue Park's impeachment
2016/11/21 18:21
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SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's three opposition parties formally decided to try to impeach President Park Geun-hye on Monday, one day after she was implicated as an accomplice in a corruption and influence-peddling scandal surrounding her confidante.
During a general meeting of lawmakers, the main opposition Democratic Party decided to set up a working-level apparatus for Park's ouster. Earlier in the day, the minor People's Party also adopted the impeachment push as its official line.
The minor Justice Party also has officially proposed the impeachment of Park.
The parties initially dithered on presidential impeachment, because the prospect of its passage is uncertain and the process is lengthy. They had instead focused on pressuring Park to resign.
Their decisions came as the embattled president has indicated that she would complete her five-year term, which ends in February 2018, despite criminal accusations levied on her by prosecutors.
"As impeachment takes a long time of up to six months, it is expected to consume enormous national energy," Choo Mi-ae, the leader of the Democratic Party, said during the party's general meeting.
Choo Mi-ae, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, speaks during a general meeting of party lawmakers at the National Assembly in Seoul on Nov. 21, 2016. (Yonhap)
Choo called on some ruling party members, who are not loyal to the president, to join the efforts. The People's Party also vowed to seek close cooperation with other opposition parties and some Saenuri lawmakers.
Submission of a presidential impeachment motion requires endorsement from at least a majority of the 300 lawmakers. Its passage requires approval from at least 200 legislators, or two-thirds of the total lawmakers.
The number of opposition and independent lawmakers totals 171, meaning the passage needs support from at least 29 lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri Party.
After parliamentary approval, the motion is to be adjudicated by the Constitutional Court, which could take up to six months. During the period, the president will be suspended and the prime minister will serve as acting leader -- a scenario the opposition bloc wants to avoid.
The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae has indicated that it is willing to go through the impeachment process, which it views as a way to quickly address ongoing political wrangling over the fate of the president.
Regarding the opposition's interest in picking a new prime minister based on bipartisan consensus, the presidential office issued a thinly veiled criticism that the parties have been unresponsive to Park's initial request so far and hinted that under current circumstances, the president may not move to appoint a new prime minister after all.
Earlier this month, Park accepted the parties' demand to appoint a parliament-picked premier, believing that she would stay on as head of state while handing over some of her powers. But the opposition parties are now demanding that a new premier be picked on the premise that Park will step down.
The presidential office, however, said its stance to settle differences with the parties through dialogue remains unchanged.
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