Korea celebrates Park’s impeachment
Anxiety over future tempers sense of euphoria in Seoul
SEOUL // Tens of thousands celebrated the impeachment of South Korean president Park Geun-Hye at a rally in Seoul yesterday, but amid the euphoria there was lingering anger, and anxiety, at the prospect of an extended period of political uncertainty. For the seventh week in a row, protesters gathered in the streets of the capital, but the mood was generally festive after members of parliament on Friday voted overwhelmingly to impeach Ms Park over a corruption scandal.
Although the move stripped her executive powers, activists said they intended to keep up the pressure, with the impeachment requiring final approval from the constitutional court, a process that could take months. Many said the president should resign immediately and face criminal prosecution.
Organisers put the turnout at about 600,000 people – smaller than previous weeks when the crowds exceeded a million.
Until the court rules, Ms Park’s authority is only suspended and she retains the title of president and the immunity from prosecution that goes with it.
She still has supporters, many of them elderly voters who are steadfast admirers of her father, the late military dictator Park Chung-hee who is credited with transforming South Korea into an economic power but vilified as a human rights abuser.
A large portrait of a young Ms Park with her father formed the centrepiece of a pro-Park rally in Seoul yesterday that drew about 15,000 people. Ms Park was impeached on several counts of constitutional and criminal violations ranging from a failure to protect people’s lives to bribery and abuse of power.
Most of the charges stemmed from an investigation into a scandal involving her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, who is awaiting trial on charges of fraud and embezzlement.
Prosecutors named Ms Park as a suspect in the case, saying she colluded in Ms Choi’s efforts to strong-arm big companies into donating millions of dollars.
The impeachment process was ignited and fuelled by public outrage at Ms Park’s behaviour, with the weekly mass demonstrations demanding that politicians take a proactive role in removing her from the presidential Blue House.
The national assembly played its part, but the country faces a lengthy period of uncertainty at a time of slowing economic growth and raised military tensions with nuclear-armed North Korea. “We have only overcome one challenge. The challenges that follow will be bigger,” said Kim Young-ho who attended yesterday’s rally with members of the Korean Farmers’ League.
The man charged with steering the country through troubled waters is a former prosecutor who has not held elected office.
As Ms Park’s prime minister, Hwang Kyo- ahn became the temporary guardian of her executive powers the moment after she was impeached.
Mr Hwang is seen as a Park loyalist and there were chants yesterday for him to resign.
Thrust into a role he never sought, Mr Hwang tried to strike a reassuring tone during an emergency cabinet meeting yesterday.
“The government is carrying out all measures necessary to prevent any government vacuum and ease the people’s anxiety,” he said.
He had instructed the military to be extra vigilant to any move by North Korea to exploit the current situation, he said. North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests this year and several missile launches, prompting South Korea to agree to host a sophisticated US anti-missile system – despite protests from China.
Contributing to the general anxiety is the presidential power transition in the United States, a key economic and military ally which has nearly 30,000 troops permanently stationed in South Korea.