S. Korean president is impeached in swift fall
She’s accused of aiding friend in extortion
Seoul, South Korea — South Korean lawmakers on Friday impeached President Park Geun-hye, a stunning and swift fall for the country’s first female leader amid protests that drew millions into the streets in united fury.
After the vote, parliamentary officials hand-delivered formal documents to the presidential Blue House that stripped Park of her power and allowed the country’s No. 2 official, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, to assume leadership until the Constitutional Court rules on whether Park must permanently step down. The court has up to six months to decide.
“I’d like to say that I’m deeply sorry to the people because the nation has to experience this turmoil because of my negligence and lack of virtue at a time when our security and economy both face difficulties,” Park said after the vote, before a closed-door meeting with her Cabinet where she and other aides reportedly broke down in tears.
Hwang separately said that he wanted “the ruling and opposition political parties and the parliament to gather strength and wisdom so that we can return stability to the country and people as soon as possible.”
Once called the “Queen of Elections” for her ability to pull off wins for her party, Park has been surrounded in the Blue House in recent weeks by millions of South Koreans who have taken to the streets in protest. They are furious over what prosecutors say was collusion by Park with a longtime friend to extort money from companies and to give that confidant extraordinary sway over government decisions.
Lawmakers from both parties faced huge pressure to act against Park, the daughter of a military dictator still revered by many conservatives for lifting the country from poverty in the 1960s and 1970s.
Her approval ratings had plunged to 4%, the lowest among South Korean leaders since democracy came in the late 1980s, and even elderly conservatives who once made up her political base have distanced themselves from her. An opinion survey released earlier Friday showed 81% of respondents supported Park’s impeachment.
The United States is urging a smooth and peaceful transition in South Korea after the allied nation’s president was impeached.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that policy consistency and continuity was “paramount” including in trade and economic relations and in defending against North Korean threats.
He described the U.S.-Korean alliance as a lynchpin of regional security.
Toner said the U.S. looks forward to working with Hwang following the parliamentary vote Friday to impeach Park.
Hwang will be acting president until the country’s Constitutional Court deliberates on whether to formally end Park’s presidency or reinstate her.