Opposition to push impeachment Friday
By Kim Hyo-jin
The opposition parties are to push for a National Assembly vote to impeach President Park Geun-hye, Friday, despite her proposal to step down according to a schedule and procedure determined by the parliament.
The parties interpreted this as a tactic to delay the vote, saying that they will move ahead as scheduled.
“When unconditional resignation is the only way to normalize state affairs, the President did not mention it and instead shifted the responsibility onto the National Assembly. It is a mere strategy to disturb the ongoing move toward impeachment,” main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairwoman Rep. Choo Mi-ae said during an emergency party meeting. “We will never falter in pushing for the impeachment process.”
Rep. Park Jie-won, interim leader of the minor opposition People’s Party, also reiterated the party’s intention to push for the impeachment.
“President Park said she will follow the National Assembly’s decision, knowing that the opposition cannot make any agreement with the current pro-Park leadership of the ruling party,” he said on a Facebook post. “We will just proceed with the impeachment along with other opposition parties and conscientious Saenuri Party lawmakers.”
The remarks came after the President said in her third public address that she would follow any Assembly decision including the shortening of her presidency. Park has been under pressure from the opposition parties and the public to resign due to the corruption scandal involving her and her friend Choi Soon-sil.
Leaders of the opposition parties said earlier in the day that an impeachment motion will be put to a vote, Friday. If passed, it will remove Park from performing all her duties immediately.
The move to speed up the impeachment came amid their growing confidence in securing enough votes from anti-Park lawmakers in the ruling Saenuri Party to pass the motion. It also showed their determination to maintain the initiative in the current political deadlock.
Even though the opposition parties reiterated that they will stick to the timetable for impeachment following the President’s speech, Park dissenters in the Saenuri Party showed signs of changing their minds.
They demanded rival parties start negotiations on the early resignation of President Park, adding that a vote on impeachment would be arranged Dec. 9 only if such talks fail.
Rep. Hwang Young-cheul, who has served as a mouthpiece for the anti-Park group, said that it would be difficult for them to be united in voting for the impeachment motion. “To be honest, we are now divided in our position,” He said.
The ruling party lawmakers who are not affiliated with the President hold the key to passing the impeachment motion. Assuming 172 opposition and independent lawmakers all vote in favor, at least 28 votes are required from the ruling bloc. The law requires support from two-thirds of the 300-member National Assembly to pass the motion.
Rep. Hwang earlier mentioned that about 40 lawmakers were expected to join with the opposition.
Meanwhile, Saenuri Party floor leader Chung Jin-suk called on the opposition to reconsider the impeachment process.
“The talks over the impeachment have proceeded so far on the assumption that Park would not step down. But now that the situation has changed I will discuss the process with the opposition parties from square one,” he told reporters, calling Park’s proposal a virtual announcement of her resignation.