Scandal-hit Park ‘willing to resign’
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SOUTH Korea’s President Park Geun-hye is willing to resign early and let parliament decide her fate, she said yesterday. Her critics said the move was a bid to delay impending impeachment.
Park has been engulfed in allegations of influence peddling and claims that tens of millions of dollars have changed hands, sparking widespread anger across South Korea and bringing hundreds of thousands of protesters onto the streets.
“I will leave the issue of my departure, including the (possible) reduction of my term in office, to a decision by the National Assembly,” she said in a speech carried live on television.
“Once lawmakers come up with measures to transfer power in a way that minimizes any power vacuum and chaos in governance, I will step down,” she said.
Park’s presidency has gone into a tailspin, with accusations that Choi Soon-sil — a Park confidante — elicited more than US$60 million from some of the country’s top firms, including Samsung.
Park has been named as a suspect in a growing investigation into the scandal, making her the first sitting president to be subject to a criminal probe while in office.
While she retains the presidency, she cannot be charged with a criminal offense except insurrection or treason, but she could be charged once she steps down.
Huge protests calling for her impeachment have rocked Seoul every weekend for more than a month, and opposition parties say they expect to vote to remove her as early as this week.
Park’s latest remarks are a possible bid to derail that effort, critics say, with the president hoping she can cut a deal that would avoid — or lessen — formal sanctions.
But opponents poured scorn on her offer yesterday.
“Our stance to seek Park’s impeachment remains unchanged,” Choo Mi-ae, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, said, describing Park’s remarks as “a trick” designed to distract attention.
Three opposition parties, which jointly hold 55 percent of seats in parliament, and some members of Park’s party are seeking to collect two-thirds of total votes to pass the bill as early as Friday.
If the motion passes, Park would immediately be suspended from official duties and her prime minister would take over as interim head of government.
But the impeachment would not be finalized until the Constitutional Court approves it — a process that could take six months.
Massive weekly protests have intensified over the past month, with up to 1.5 million people braving freezing temperatures in Seoul on Saturday, according to organizers, to demand Park’s resignation.
Park has been hemorrhaging allies, with her justice minister stepping down and staunch supporters within her own party calling for her to go.
In her third public apology over the scandal, she tried yesterday to distance herself from Choi, who was charged earlier this month with coercion and abuse of power.
Park said the huge sums that had changed hands had been directed toward projects for “the public good.”
“I have not sought any personal gain there” she said, but added: “It was my fault that I failed to keep my personal ties (with Choi and Choi’s associates) under control.”
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