South Korean President Park Geun-hye will not respond to a request by prosecutors to question her this week, her lawyer said yesterday amid a deepening political crisis over a close friend accused of meddling in state affairs.
Park is under intense pressure to step down over the scandal that has rocked her presidency, leaving her administration struggling with a power vacuum. Momentum to try to impeach her is growing in parliament.
Lawyer Yoo Yeong-ha said Park had to deal with the “fast-moving situation” and state business and so there was little time for her to cooperate with prosecutors, who had asked to question the president by today.
“It is regrettable that the president cannot cooperate with face-to-face questioning the prosecutors have asked for by Nov. 29,” Yoo said in a statement.
Park will prepare for an investigation by a special prosecutor that is expected next month, instead of responding to the current investigation, the lawyer had said earlier.
Her friend, Choi Soon-sil, and a former aide have been indicted, and Park was named as an accomplice in an investigation by state prosecutors for pressuring big business to contribute money to foundations set up to back her policies.
The presidential office and Park’s lawyer have denied the prosecutors’ accusation.
Park and Choi are accused of coercing top Seoul firms to donate more than US$60 million to non-profit foundations, which Choi then used for personal gain.
On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of South Koreans rallied for the fifth weekend in a row, calling for Park’s resignation. Organisers said the crowd totalled 1.5 million, while the police estimated the crowd at 260,000.
In a public apology this month, Park said she would make herself available to any investigations, including that by the special prosecutor, adding that she would take responsibility if found guilty.
Parliament has passed a bill for the special prosecutor to be nominated by the two main opposition parties and formally appointed by Park. A parliamentary vote to impeach her could take place as early as this week as a growing number of ruling Saenuri Party politicians back the opposition-led campaign to oust her.
An impeachment vote requires a two-thirds majority to pass. If the opposition parties remain united, they will need fewer than 30 votes from Saenuri to impeach her.
The vote would then have to be ratified by South Korea’s Constitutional Court.
As a sitting president, Park cannot be charged with a criminal offence except insurrection or treason, but she can be investigated and charged once her term is over.
If Park is impeached or resigns, an election would be held in 60 days to nominate a president to serve a five-year term.
Additional reporting by AFP and NY Times News Service
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