Park's loyalists to urge President to step down

By Park Si-soo

A group of senior lawmakers loyal to President Park Geun-hye will urge the scandalized head of state to step down to keep her “honor” untarnished.

Multiple sources in the ruling Saenuri Party said Monday the party’s senior lawmakers loyal to Park gathered at a restaurant and reached a “consensus that they will demand Park step down.”

They refused to elaborate on details, including when and how they will make the suggestion to the increasingly unpopular President.

The participants included Rep. Suh Chung-won, Choi Kyung-hwan and Yoon Sang-hyun, key members of the Park loyalist faction within the ruling party.

“There is no room for the President to step back,” Suh reportedly said. “Under the current circumstances, Park is bound to be impeached. It’s a matter of time. For the sake of keeping her honor untarnished, resignation would be a wise option for her.”

This decision came one day after a group of former National Assembly speakers and other elderly politicians agreed to ask Park to leave office by April.