Opposition parties Monday put the final touches on the draft of the impeachment motion against President Park Geun-hye, but they are still unclear when it will be put to a vote.It is a choice of between this Friday or next, but the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea emphasized prudence, as winning the overwhelming support of the parliament is more ideal than rushing to pass the motion.  “I understand that the people are eager to pass the motion as quickly as possible, but the key is how m

　A group of ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers critical of President Park Geun-hye announced Friday that they have gathered enough votes to pass an impeachment motion against her.  　The dissenting group said that more than 40 lawmakers would join the opposition parties and independents, whose seats total 172 after one Saenuri lawmaker quit the party Tuesday, in voting for the motion. At least 28 votes from Saenuri are needed to meet requirement of 200 votes in the 300-seat Assembly.　Rep. Hwang Young

The United Nation’s Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has hinted at the possibility of running for next year’s presidential election, fueling speculation about which political group he would represent amid the record-low popularity of President Park and her governing Saenuri Party. In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, the outgoing UN chief said that he would “think about” his role in South Korea after his term ends on Dec 31. Ban also noted that he has “grave concern” over the nepotism scandal tied

While President Park Geun-hye’s political fortunes have fallen drastically over a nepotism scandal involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil, one presidential aspirant is seeing a major boost: Seongnam City Mayor Lee Jae-myung.A firebrand of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, Lee was the first politician to demand the resignation and punishment of Park for letting her friend Choi meddle in state affairs. Local polls released Thursday showed the outspoken politician ranked third among pr

An impeachment trial seems the only way out of the political stalemate in South Korea. With President Park Geun-hye determined to cling to power, opposition parties are campaigning for a parliamentary impeachment motion whose passage will set the stage for the nation’s second impeachment trial in history. The Korea Herald interviewed six prominent law experts over the phone to find out what to expect from the looming trial. The following are excerpts from the interviews: The Korea Herald: Does P

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-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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