South Korean parliament votes to impeach President Park Geun-hye

Members of her own party voted against her. Decision now rests with Constitutional Court. If ousted, Park would be the first South Korean president to undergo such a fate.

Seoul (AsiaNews) - The South Korean parliament has voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye accused of various scandals and irresponsibility regarding security.

The impeachment motion was passed by 234 votes to 56. This means that dozens of members of Park’s own  Saenuri Party also voted in favor.

The authority of the President now passes to the Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn. The vote means that Park's powers are suspended, but the final decision must be taken by the Constitutional Court, composed of nine judges, who have six months to rule on the issue.

AsiaNews Korean sources agree with the decision: "She is corrupt and shallow, she allowed her relationship with her friend Choi Soon-sil, determine  our domestic and foreign policy, even toward North Korea, without being part of 'executive".

The crisis of the Park erupted after the revelations about her relationship with Choi Soon-sil, also accused of corruption who was able to exploit her relationship with the president to receive funding for foundations and favors from businesses and politicians.

For weeks, millions of Koreans have marched in several cities to demand Park resign from the Presidency. If ousted, the Park would be the first South Korean president to suffer such a fate.

• South
• Korea's
• economy
• park
• geun-hye
• impeachment
• choi
• soon-sil
• foreign
• policy