South Korean opposition parties introduce impeachment motion against President Park Geun-hye

Record ID: 76380

  • Title: South Korean opposition parties introduce impeachment motion against President Park Geun-hye
  • Date: 8th December 2016
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (DECEMBER 8, 2016) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** SOUTH KOREAN LAWMAKERS TAKING SEAT IN MEETING ROOM EMBLEM OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY VARIOUS OF SOUTH KOREAN LAWMAKER HANDING OUT POSTERS TO OTHER LAWMAKERS, SITTING LETTERS ON POSTER ON MONITOR SCREEN READING (Korean): "PARK GEUN-HYE STEP DOWN!" POSTERS ON DESK AND SOUTH KOREAN LAWMAKERS SITTING POSTERS ON DESK SOUTH KOREAN LAWMAKERS TAKING SEAT (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN DIRECTOR GENERAL OF PROCEEDINGS BUREAU OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, KWON YOUNG-JIN, SAYING: "The impeachment bill for President Park Geun-hye has been proposed on December 8th by 171 lawmakers, including Woo Sang-ho, Park jie-won, and Roh Hoe-chan." LAWMAKERS SITTING SOUTH KOREAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SPEAKER, CHUNG SYE-KYUN, (CENTRE), HITTING GAVEL MEETING IN PROGRESS
  • Embargoed: 23rd December 2016 07:50
  • Keywords: parliament impeachment motion lawmakers president Park Geun-hye
  • Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
  • City: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
  • Country: South Korea
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015C0VSXX
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: South Korea's parliament introduced a bill on Thursday (December 8) to impeach President Park Geun-hye, setting the stage for a historic vote to oust the embattled leader engulfed in an influence-peddling scandal.
    "The impeachment bill for President Park Geun-hye has been proposed on December 8th by 171 lawmakers, including Woo Sang-ho, Park Jie-won, and Roh Hoe-chan," said Kwon Young-jin, Director General of Proceeding Bureau of National Assembly during a plenary session.
    Park is accused of colluding with a friend and a former aide to pressure big businesses to donate to two foundations set up to back her policy initiatives.
    She has denied wrongdoing but apologised for carelessness in her ties with the friend, Choi Soon-sil.
    Parliament is expected to vote on Friday (December 9) in favour of impeachment, although the Constitutional Court must decide whether to uphold the motion, a process that could take up to 180 days.
    Opposition parties have said they believe they will get the two-thirds majority needed to pass the bill, with support from about 30 members of Park's conservative Saenuri Party to secure the necessary 200 votes.
    Park, 64, said this week she would await the court's ruling, signalling that the country's six-weeks-long political crisis is set to continue.
    Park, the daughter of a former military ruler, is under intense pressure to resign immediately, with big crowds taking to the streets of the capital, Seoul, every Saturday calling for her ouster.
    Her approval rating is at a record low of 4 percent. A Realmeter poll released on Thursday said 78.2 percent of respondents wanted Park to be impeached.
    She would be the first democratically elected South Korean president not to serve a full five-year term. Former President Roh Moo-hyun was impeached by parliament in 2004, a motion that was overturned by the Constitutional Court which said grounds for impeachment were insufficient.
    An impeachment vote must be held within 72 hours of the motion's introduction, and the speaker of parliament, Chung Sye-kyun, asked for a vote on Friday.
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