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Impeachment Motion Against S.Korean Leader Delayed Over Opposition Disagreements

Sputnik News

16:58 01.12.2016

The impeachment motion against South Korean President Park Geun-hye was delayed as opposition parties failed to reach consensus on the date of its forwarding, local media reported on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The main opposition party Minjoo, also known as the Democratic Party, wanted to forward the motion as soon as possible so that the voting could take place on Friday while the minor People's Party wanted to do that next week in order to reach consensus with some lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri Party.

"Our goal is to impeach Park, rather than just focusing on moving ahead with the motion … As the non-Park members of Saenuri wish to continue discussions until at least next Wednesday, it is effectively impossible for the motion to be passed [on Friday]," Lee Yong-ho, spokesman of the People's Party, said.

The Minjoo and the people's Party will need 200 out of 300 votes of lawmakers in order to oust the president, which means that votes of at least 28 members of the ruling Saenuri party are needed.

On November 20, prosecutors filed formal charges against Choi Soon-sil – a friend of the president, implicated in a corruption scandal, and two of Park's former aides. The Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office stated that Park was suspected of being an accomplice in the conspiracy, and although they cannot indict the president because of her immunity, they would continue the investigation.

On October 24, the JTBC television network reported that Choi allegedly received drafts of the president's speeches before they were publicly delivered, though she had never held a public post. The following day, Park officially admitted asking Choi for advice on speeches and public relations issues, and apologized for "causing public concern."

Choi is also accused of using her ties with Park to extract millions of dollars in donations from big companies into two non-profit foundations she controlled.

© Sputnik