The floor leader of South Korea's main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) said Friday he hopes that the country's top court will recommend a new justice nominee who can represent women and people from various strata of society.
Rep. Park Jie-won made the comment in a party meeting, a day after Kim Byung-hwa, an embattled nominee to the Supreme Court, withdrew his nomination over his alleged ethical lapses.
Kim had been under pressure to withdraw his nomination over his alleged real estate speculation and other suspected wrongdoing.
He has dismissed the accusations as "groundless."
Park said he "welcomed Kim's withdrawal" and said his party will approve the other three Supreme Court justice nominees.
The ruling Saenuri Party, which had defended Kim, also said it will adopt a report on the three nominees next Wednesday, a process needed for a parliamentary vote on the nominees.
Kim's departure resolved a key dispute between the rival parties. Still, the parties are bracing for another bitter political standoff over Park's fate.
Park did not appear before prosecutors on Friday as he rejected the third and possibly final summons in connection with a savings bank scandal.
He is suspected to have received around 100 million won (US$87,000) in kickbacks from the head of Solomon Savings Bank in 2008 in return for influence peddling.
Park has vowed not to cooperate with the prosecution's investigation. Party spokesman Lee Un-ju condemned prosecutors' move as politically motivated just months before the December presidential election.
Prosecutors said they will soon seek an arrest warrant for Park, which could set the stage for a vote in the National Assembly.
In South Korea, parliamentary consent is required to arrest a lawmaker because a sitting lawmaker has immunity from arrest while parliament is in session.
The ruling Saenuri Party, which has 149 seats in the 300-member parliament, reportedly set a policy to approve a motion to arrest Park if the motion is put to a vote.
More than 150 of 300 lawmakers need to be present at the parliament to put the motion to a vote. Of the minimum 151, a majority of approval votes, at least 76, is needed to endorse the motion.
It remains unclear whether Park could face any immediate arrest as his opposition party seeks to convene an extraordinary parliament session right after the current session ends on Aug. 3.
The ruling party denounced the DUP's proposed plan as a political plot designed to prevent Park from being arrested.