Faction of South Korean Ruling Party Ready to Back President's Impeachment

TOKYO (Sputnik) — An anti-presidential faction within South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party is ready to support a vote on the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye amid a corruption scandal around her close friend and "shadow adviser" Choi Soon-si, the Kyodo news agency reported Sunday.

In late November, South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party (The Minjoo) announced plans to seek vote on impeachment of the president amid the ongoing political scandal, involving Park's friend and alleged shadow adviser. On Friday, some lawmakers of the ruling party issued a statement with an ultimatum under which the faction would support the impeachment of the president if Park refuses to announce her resignation terms before December 7.

On Saturday, South Korea’s opposition parties handed an impeachment motion against the president. The bill was endorsed by 171 lawmakers from three parties. A two-thirds majority in the 300-seat legislature is needed for the impeachment process to start. The impeachment bill will be formally tabled in the parliament next week, with an impeachment vote expected the following day.

The procedures to impeach Park were boosted as prosecutors filed formal charges against Choi on November 20, as she was implicated in a corruption scandal, along with two of Park's former aides. The Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office stated that Park was suspected of being an accomplice in the conspiracy, and although they cannot indict the president because of her immunity, they pledged to continue the investigation.