With President Park Geun-hye defying calls for her resignation over a nepotism scandal tied to her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil, opposition parties are campaigning for a parliamentary impeachment motion to remove Park from office.But the road to impeachment is fraught with many hurdles. Not only do the lawmakers have to clear a strict threshold at the National Assembly to open a trial, they have to convince judges at the Constitutional Court that the case warrants her removal. Rep. Choo Mi-

Politics Nov. 23, 2016

Major opposition parties Monday moved to begin impeachment proceedings against President Park Geun-hye, raising pressure on the beleaguered leader who is refusing to quit despite mounting calls for her resignation over a nepotism scandal tied to her long-time confidante Choi Soon-sil. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and runner-up People’s Party officially decided to push for Park’s impeachment at their respective general assembly of lawmakers. The Democratic Party has also decided

Politics Nov. 21, 2016

Opposition heavyweights Sunday vowed to pursue the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye over the influence-peddling and corruption scandal tied to her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil.The comments came following an announcement from the prosecutors that the president was an accomplice to a series of crimes committed by Choi and Park’s aides.  Eight liberal-minded presidential hopefuls, such as Moon Jae-in who served as a leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, urged the oppos

Politics Nov. 20, 2016

As President Park Geun-hye appears determined to cling to her Constitution-backed power as head of state, those who want her ouster are being increasingly forced to consider a Constitutional method of removing her from office: impeachment. A few outspoken liberals have been calling for Park’s impeachment from the very beginning of the scandal surrounding the conservative president and her friend for 40 years Choi Soon-sil, but most in the liberal opposition bloc are reluctant to talk about the p

Politics Nov. 17, 2016

Ever since the nepotism scandal tied to President Park Geun-hye erupted, her governing Saenuri Party has been on the brink of a split between the once mainstreamers who are loyal to the president and the group of those who are less loyal. The emerging chasm continued to deepen as the dissenters demand the all-out resignation of the incumbent leadership run by pro-Park lawmakers. Earlier in the day, heavyweight dissenters boycotted the party’s decision-making Supreme Council meeting and launched

Politics Nov. 16, 2016

A bipartisan agreement reached Monday envisions South Korea’s largest independent counsel probe and parliamentary investigation into the nepotism scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye. The ruling Saenuri Party and opposition parties agreed to pass a bill aimed at naming an independent counsel and launching a parliamentary inquiry into the Choi Soon-sil scandal. The legislation will be submitted to the plenary session Thursday. The draft bill intends to grant the right to recommend two cand

Politics Nov. 15, 2016

As the prosecutorial investigation into the Choi Soon-sil scandal closes in on President Park Geun-hye, attention is on the formalities of what will be the country’s first-ever interrogation of a sitting president. 　Questions have emerged on two key fronts: What sort of charges will be brought against the president and how the prosecutors will deal with the unpresented investigation into an incumbent president. The prosecutors have submitted an official request to Cheong Wa Dae to question Presi

Politics Nov. 14, 2016

The largest nationwide anti-government protest held Saturday has raised the level of disapproval over President Park Geun-hye within the ruling Saenuri Party, with a ranking member even calling for her impeachment.Rep. Kim Moo-sung, a former Saenuri leader, said Sunday that the party should impeach Park for violating the constitutional obligation as a head of state, holding her liable for letting her friend Choi soon-sil meddle in state affairs. “My view is that the president should eventually b

Politics Nov. 13, 2016

Is a Donald Trump-led US a reason to salvage the embattled presidency in South Korea or ditch it as soon as possible?  The election of the Republican real estate mogul as the US’ president appears to have widened the chasm between Korea’s conservative and liberal opposition camps in their bickering over a scandal involving President Park Geun-hye. President Park’s governing Saenuri Party on Thursday stressed the need for strong leadership to navigate the security and economic uncertainties prese

Politics Nov. 10, 2016

With the scandal tied to President Park Geun-hye sending the nation into a state of turmoil, opposition parties have rolled out a series of proposed measures ranging from the conservative leader’s impeachment to an independent counsel investigation. For these measures to clear the legislative hurdle, the opposition bloc, despite controlling a majority of the single-chamber parliament, must steal votes from the conservative ruling Saenuri Party. Under normal circumstances this would be almost imp

Politics Nov. 9, 2016

President Park’s surprise visit to the National Assembly on Tuesday was filled with moments of hostility, indicative of the predicament she faces. When she arrived at around 10:30 a.m., everything seemed to be business as usual. The Assembly’s Secretary-General Woo Yoon-keun and the governing Saenuri Party’s floor leader Rep. Chung Jin-suk were among the first to greet her. Clad in a red jacket and black trousers, Park smiled as she was escorted into the main assembly hall, leading an impressive

Politics Nov. 8, 2016

Opposition lawmakers are pushing to introduce a special act to investigate the source of the wealth of scandal-riven presidential confidante Choi Soon-sil and her family. “I intend to provide the legal basis for investigating how the Chois accumulated their wealth and also for redeeming the illegitimate part of their assets,” Rep. Min Byung-doo of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea wrote on Facebook.The third-term lawmaker plans to hold a public hearing on the issue as early as this w

Politics Nov. 7, 2016

With President Park Geun-hye’s approval ratings plummeting to all-time low amid a spiraling scandal involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil, presidential hopefuls are trying to capitalize on the crisis by projecting themselves as reliable leaders. The liberal opposition’s bigwigs are rushing to turn public anger over the Choi Soon-sil scandal into an opportunity to rally support. Heavyweights from the ruling Saenuri Party, meanwhile, are trying to set themselves apart from the embattled president

Politics Nov. 6, 2016

Opposition politicians on Thursday suggested South Korea elect the successor to President Park Geun-hye earlier than scheduled, possibly next spring. The call came amid mounting public criticism of the president, whose credibility and leadership have been critically hurt by a scandal in which she let her civilian friend, Choi Soon-sil, meddle in state affairs. Latest polls show Park’s approval ratings have plunged to an unprecedented number below 10 percent and a majority of the public want her

Politics Nov. 3, 2016

With the burgeoning scandal involving President Park Geun-hye’s confidante plunging the nation into a state of crisis, scholars across the political spectrum have voiced concern the nepotism scandal has undermined South Korea’s democracy. In order to address the problem, political analysts said, the president should transfer her power to what they described as a “neutral Cabinet” and limit her role to “nominal head of state,” such as that of the United Kingdom. “President Park is not able to exe

Politics Nov. 1, 2016