S Korean Parliament to Vote on President’s Impeachment on December 9

Local Editor

South Korea's opposition parties will submit a draft resolution on the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye on Friday in order to hold parliamentary vote on the motion in a week, on December 9.

Earlier in the day, a group of lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri party threatened to vote in favor of the president's impeachment if Park did not set the date for her voluntary resignation amid the ongoing corruption scandal in the country until 6 p.m. [09:00 GMT] on December 7, according to NHK broadcaster.

On Thursday, lawmakers from the opposition People's Party decided to postpone the voting on the impeachment of the president, scheduled for Friday, until the next week in order to hold additional round of negotiations with the Saenuri Party to secure the desired outcome.

The impeachment of the South Korean president requires 200 out of 300 votes of lawmakers. The opposition consists of 172 lawmakers, which means that votes of at least 28 members of the Saenuri party are needed.

On October 24, media reported that Choi Soon-sil, a friend and "shadow adviser" of the president, allegedly received drafts of speeches and presidential documents, which could contain confidential information, though she had never held a public post.

The revelation caused a massive anti-government protest in the country, with people calling on the president to step down.

Park is also suspected of involvement in raising funds for two nonprofit foundations dedicated to promotion of South Korean culture and sports, while president's associate Choi is suspected of money misappropriation from these foundations.

On November 20, the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office filed formal charges against Choi and two of Park's former aides and stated that Park was suspected of being an accomplice in the conspiracy.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team