8 out of 10 South Koreans support impeachment of president

intern

November 24, 2016 1:23 PM

Almost one million protesters rallied on the streets nationwide on Saturday, demanding Park step down.

A growing number of ruling party politicians have endorsed the opposition-led campaign to oust President Park Geun-Hye (pictured) over the scandal involving her friend Choi Soon-Sil

Eight out of 10 South Koreans support impeaching President Park Geun-hye after prosecutors said he was an accomplice to Choi Soon-sil, his longtime confidante indicted on abuse of power and extortion.

According to a survey of Realmeter, local pollster, released on Thursday, 79.5 per cent of respondents expressed agreement on impeaching the scandal-hit president.

Among them, 60.3 per cent strongly favoured the impeachment.

However, the portion of those who want to force Park to be impeached was up from 73.9 per cent tallied recently when people demanded voluntary resignation or forcible impeachment.

Meanwhile, the presidential office rejected the demand, saying Park will maintain her presidency to take responsibility for state affairs.

In spite of public and parliamentary oppositions, she pushed a military intelligence pact with Japan, formally signing the deal on Wednesday to directly exchange information on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Protesters in front of the South Korean defense ministry’s headquarters, where the two sides sealed the military pact, shouted for the president’s immediate resignation.

They said Park must distance herself from state affairs, including diplomacy and security affairs.

On Sunday, the prosecution office said Park had conspired with her decades-long friend in multiple crimes.

Park became the country’s first female president and first sitting president to be investigated as a criminal suspect.

Prosecutors raided Samsung Group headquarters on Wednesday and stormed the headquarters of Lotte and SK, two of the country’s top five conglomerates, on bribery allegations.

The country’s parliament is set to launch a separate investigation into the scandal later this month.

The team of a special prosecutor who will probe the case independently is forecast to kick off investigation early December.

The biggest opposition Minjoo Party vowed to put an impeachment motion to vote in the National Assembly as late as Dec. 9.

intern