President impeached

After being impeached by the National Assembly, President Park Geun-hye looks down as she convenes her last Cabinet meeting Friday, right before the vote that suspended her from office. She apologized to the nation again, and asked ministers to minimize any vacuum in government, and to work on the economy. / Korea Times photo by Ko Yeong-kwon

By Kim Hyo-jin

The National Assembly passed the motion to impeach President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal, Friday.

Park was suspended from office at 7:03 p.m. immediately after the result was officially delivered to the presidential office, and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn began working as acting head of state.

The President's fate is now in the hands of the Constitutional Court, which is expected to make a ruling on whether the impeachment was valid in a few months.

Park is the second Korean president to be impeached after the late President Roh Moo-hyun in 2004. Roh was able to return to office thanks to wide public support after the Constitutional Court overturned the Assembly's decision.

The impeachment motion, signed by 171 opposition and independent lawmakers, passed overwhelmingly with 234 in favor, 56 against, two abstentions and seven invalid votes in the 300-member Assembly. Pro-Park lawmaker Choi Kyung-hwan of the ruling Saenuri Party was absent.

This well exceeded the necessary approval of two-thirds of the 300 lawmakers required for its passage.

The overwhelming passage of the impeachment motion came after millions of people took to the streets to hold rallies demanding Park's resignation over the last six weeks.

The President said she humbly accepts the Assembly's decision, but indicated that she will not step down and will await the ruling by the Constitutional Court.

"I will calmly respond to an impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court and an independent counsel investigation in accordance with the procedures stated in the Constitution and the related laws," she said in a statement.

Acting President Hwang held an emergency Cabinet meeting and said, "Under all circumstances, we will maintain the stability of the country. All civil servants must do their utmost to prevent any gaps in the areas of diplomacy, security and the economy."

A verdict by the nine judges on the court could take up to six months. But speculation is high that it will take less than this. Legal experts say their deliberations could be faster, citing the 2004 precedent of former President Roh, and the rising concerns over a vacuum in state affairs.

The court took 63 days to review the case of Roh, who was impeached for alleged breach of political neutrality by the then opposition parties, and exonerate him. However, some pundits say it could take longer than this as there are more legal issues to be deliberated on.

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National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun bangs the gavel to declare the passage of the impeachment motion against President Park Geun-hye during a plenary session of the National Assembly, Friday.
/ Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon

The opposition submitted a joint motion to impeach Park, Dec. 3, stating her alleged constitutional and law violations including abuse of power, coercion, bribery and dereliction of duty on the day of the Sewol ferry sinking, which claimed more than 300 lives.

The prosecution previously identified Park as an accomplice of her confident Choi Soon-sil in late November, labeling her a criminal suspect. Choi was indicted on charges of abuse of power, extortion and attempted fraud after extorting tens of millions of dollars from conglomerates to set up two foundations she controlled, and interfering with state affairs after gaining access to classified government documents.

The public has shown overwhelming support for Park's impeachment, while she remained reluctant to resign immediately. A Gallup poll conducted Friday showed 81 percent of respondents backing the impeachment with 14 percent opposed to it. Weeks of candlelit rallies against Park have grown larger, with 2.32 million joining the latest nationwide protest.

The motion had been supported by three opposition parties and Park dissenters in the ruling Saenuri Party.

A total of 165 opposition lawmakers earlier vowed to resign if the motion was voted down as a sign of their determination. An anti-Park Saenuri Party faction, consisting of about 40 lawmakers, had expressed their intention to vote for impeachment.

Park loyalists, who failed to stalemate the impeachment, are expected to be quickly incapacitated in the ruling party. The pro-Park leadership of the Saenuri Party had pushed for a timetable for the President's resignation in April and an early presidential election in June, but to no avail amid aggravated public sentiment.

"I'm deeply sorry and I ask forgiveness from the public as the ruling party leader," Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, a die-hard ally of Park, said after the vote. Lee said he will resign to take responsibility as soon as the party comes up with plans to fill his vacancy.

Political pundits view it is now inevitable for the ruling party to be reorganized, centering on anti-Park lawmakers. They have vowed to reinvent the conservative bloc by getting rid of Park's supporters in the wake of the corruption scandal.

Rep. Choo Mi-ae, chairwoman of the main opposition Democratic of Korea (DPK), welcomed the result of the vote, saying "It's a victory of the people and history will remember it."

Vowing to stabilize state affairs in the post-impeachment stage, she suggested that the National Assembly form a consultative body with the government and hold a 30-day extraordinary session to review policies implemented by Park.

Choo said she will wait and see how acting President Hwang will fill in the leadership vacuum, taking a step back from her earlier position that he should resign, too, taking responsibility for the botched administration.

Floor leader of the minor opposition People's Party Park Jie-won echoed such a view, saying priority should be put on making the national system function again.
He urged the Constitutional Court to promptly proceed with its review while calling on Park to step down voluntarily beforehand.

Defense Minister Han Min-koo ordered the military to tighten its vigilance against possible North Korean provocations after the impeachment vote.

"North Korea could raise military tension in an attempt to worsen the political crisis in the South and test U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, as Pyongyang has no idea what his policy toward it will be," Han said.

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se also ordered diplomats in overseas missions to stay focused on their duties and not be swayed by instability from the impeachment of the president.

Domestically, top diplomats from the U.S., China, Japan and Russia were invited to the ministry in central Seoul and briefed on the impeachment and related situations.