Park leaves her fate up to Assembly

President Park Geun-hye leaves the Cheong Wa Dae briefing room, Tuesday, after delivering a national address that she would follow any National Assembly decision on whether she should step down. / Yonhap

President's gambit distracts lawmakers from impeachment

By Jun Ji-hye

President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday that she will leave the decision on the timing and method of her resignation up to the National Assembly, rejecting calls for her to step down immediately.

In response, the opposition parties criticized her, saying she was attempting to delay a parliamentary vote on impeaching her and hang on to power. They added she must resign voluntarily and "stop playing tricks."

In her third address to the nation since the corruption scandal involving her and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil erupted in late October, Park said she will follow any measures drawn up by the Assembly to minimize any confusion arising from the unexpected transition of government.

"I will leave all decisions, including the shortening of my presidential term, up to the Assembly," she said. "Once the ruling and opposition parties draw up a measure to stably turn over the reins of government, I will step down from the office in line with that timetable and legal procedures."

Park's term ends in February, 2018.

The remarks were construed as Park calling on the Assembly to determine the details to follow before her resignation, such as selecting a bipartisan prime minister who will lead the interim Cabinet and arranging the schedule for an early presidential election.

As Park was leaving the briefing room after finishing the 5-minute speech, several reporters attempted to ask questions. One reporter asked: "Do you admit to the prosecution's allegation that you are a co-conspirator in the scandal?"

To the question, she made no comment, but only said: "I will reveal the details soon. You can ask questions, then."

A Cheong Wa Dae official later said Park will hold a press conference very soon ― possibly next week.

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The President, who has remained low-key, showed herself in public for the first time 25 days after delivering her second apology, Nov. 4, in an emotional nine-minute address to the nation.

The latest speech comes at a time when the three opposition parties are pushing for a motion to impeach Park to a vote Friday. There had seemed to be a great possibility for it to be passed as some members of the ruling Saenuri Party had vowed to vote with the opposition.

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae downplayed Park's speech, calling it a "diversionary tactic" ahead of the vote. She said what the people want is Park's immediate resignation with no conditions attached.

The President's surprise address, to which journalists were alerted only a few hours before its delivery, was made the day after a group of ruling party lawmakers, who are loyal to the President, asked her to resign "honorably."

The loyalists including eight-term lawmaker Suh Chung-won, who has provided a shoulder for Park to lean on, apparently assessed that a dishonorable resignation of the President was unavoidable now, as impeachment leads to an immediate suspension of her from duty.

On Sunday, former National Assembly speakers and other retired politicians also called on Park to step down at the earliest possible date and leave office by April at the latest.

The high-profile political scandal, which was brought to the fore late last month, has left Park's leadership in tatters ― her approval rating fell to a record-low 4 percent in a Gallup Korea survey last week. The prosecution has named Park as a prime suspect in the scandal, in which Choi was indicted, Nov. 20, for allegedly interfering in state affairs and extorting local conglomerates to accumulate wealth for herself.

Park has lost almost all of her lineup for legal help after Justice Minister Kim Hyun-woong and senior secretary for civil affairs Choi Jai-kyeong tendered their resignations. In addition, an independent investigation and a parliamentary audit into the scandal are scheduled to begin soon. Park accepted Kim's resignation Monday, but has yet to make a decision on whether to accept Choi's.

"Now, I put everything down," the President said. "I only hope that the nation overcomes the confusion at the earliest possible date and gets back on a normal track."

Repeating her apology to the people for the ongoing situation, Park once again claimed that she has never sought for her own interest or profits, stressing her innocence. She instead admitted her failure to manage the people surrounding her, which critics argue is an apparent effort to distance herself from Choi Soon-sil.

Park delivered the first public apology on Oct. 25, during which she admitted that Choi, with no official government job, reviewed more than 40 presidential speeches in advance.

The President then apologized a second time on Nov. 4, during which she vowed to cooperate in the prosecution's investigation and with an independent counsel. But since then, through her legal representative, she has refused to comply with the prosecutors' request for face-to-face questioning.