Anti-Park Saenuri lawmakers yield to public fury to back impeachment

Lawmakers of the ruling Saenuri Party who do not support President Park Geun-hye, including former floor leader Yoo Seong-min, third from right, attend a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Sunday, to discuss whether to back impeaching the scandal-ridden President. / Yonhap

By Kim Hyo-jin

Anti-Park lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri Party have succumbed to growing public calls to oust the scandal-hit President, joining forces with the opposition parties to vote for her impeachment Friday regardless of whether she announces her voluntary resignation or not.

They said the rival parties should still negotiate a roadmap for President Park Geun-hye's early resignation but if the efforts fall through, they will participate in an impeachment vote scheduled for Friday at the National Assembly.

The opposition bloc is adamant in starting the impeachment process by refusing to sit down for talks on Park's resignation.

The decision by the Saenuri Party's anti-Park faction is expected to give a boost to the opposition-led move toward impeachment.

It is now more likely that the impeachment motion, backed by 171 opposition and independent lawmakers, will be endorsed in the National Assembly. At least 28 votes are required from the ruling party to secure the two-thirds majority required in the 300-member legislature.

"We hope the rival parties reach an agreement on (Park's path) up to the last minute; but if they fail, regardless of Park's potential announcement on her position, we will participate in the vote," Rep. Hwang Young-cheul, a spokesman of an anti-Park group, told reporters.

The decision was made Sunday afternoon in a meeting of 29 lawmakers including former party leader Kim Moo-sung and ex-floor leader Yoo Seong-min.

When asked if participation means they will vote in favor, Hwang said, "Although it is the right of every single lawmaker to make their own decision, we will do our utmost to pass the impeachment bill."

The decision came amid increasing pressure to support the impeachment of President Park by the public after the largest-ever candlelit rally, Saturday, in which more than 2 million citizens assembled to demand her immediate resignation.

The anti-Park lawmakers were divided on how to respond to the opposition-led move to impeach the scandal-hit President.

Some lawmakers including former party leader Kim were cautious about impeachment, saying they will not participate in the vote "if Park accepts their call to step down by the end of April."

But others including Rep. Yoo insisted that "even if Park promises to step down by April, if the rival parties fail to agree on a timetable," they will still have to vote.

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The latter's voice gained weight following the massive candlelit rally, according to party officials and lawmakers.

"If the impeachment motion is voted down because we did not cast a vote, the already aggravated public anger will shift toward us. The aftermath will be out of control," an anti-Park lawmaker said, noting a majority of the participants agreed on the point during the meeting.

After Park's announcement last week that left the timing and manner of her resignation in the hands of the National Assembly, they showed signs of breaking away from previous impeachment efforts, calling on the opposition to discuss the matter first.

They also demanded that the president step down by April and allow a presidential election in June in tune with Park loyalists, asking her to accept officially the timetable by 6 p.m. Wednesday, otherwise they will participate in the vote.

The stance, however, changed drastically following the massive rally where protesters expressed direct anger toward Park's hesitance toward resigning and the ruling party's roadmap.

Buoyed by public support at the rally, the opposition earlier strongly urged the Saenuri Party lawmakers to join forces with them.

"Anti-Park lawmakers should get off the fence and cast their vote in the impeachment process," said Ki Dong-min, the spokesman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). "They have to choose either remaining as the President's accomplice or stand on the people's side."

Ko Yeon-ho, a spokesman of the minor opposition People's Party, said, "The Saenuri Party has to be part of a historic mission, taking responsibility for the paralysis gripping the country; otherwise, they will face fierce public protests."

The public has increased pressure on the anti-Park lawmakers, sending messages and emails to them. The Assemblymen have also received thousands of emails from a website that some citizens set up Friday.

The webpage, called "parkgeunhack.com," allows Internet users to find a lawmaker from their constituency and send an email requesting participation in the impeachment vote.

As of 11:00 p.m., more than 752,300 people had made a request. Rep. Kim Moo-sung, a de-facto leader of the anti-Park faction, received the most messages, about 5.2 percent.

Later in the day, the opposition parties welcomed the anti-Park lawmakers' decision and reaffirmed their plan to push ahead with the impeachment.

"It is a very sensible and natural consequence," DPK spokesman Ki said in a press briefing. "The rival parties should respect the public will and accordingly step jointly toward impeachment."

Meanwhile, pro-Park lawmakers seemed perplexed. "There's nothing to say," a senior loyalist said. "They just made their own decision after we gathered together and made Park's early resignation the party's official position, last Thursday."