Since a two-thirds majority in the 300-seat legislature is needed for the impeachment process to start, and opposition parties members and individual candidates comprise 172 people, at least 28 lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri Party should endorse the motion.
About 40 lawmakers from the ruling party reportedly promised to support the impeachment initiative, according to the news outlet.
Political scandal around the president broke out in late October when media reported that Park allowed Choi Soon-sil, her friend and "shadow adviser," who held no official post, to edit her speeches thus letting her influence the country`s policy. Moreover, Choi was suspected of pressuring South Korean big corporations and extorting money from them for her noncommercial funds. A total of $70 million was transferred to the bank accounts of these funds.
Choi was officially charged on November 20 and the prosecution said that the president was also involved in the scandal. As a result, thousands of people took to the streets demanding the president`s resignation.
On December 3, South Korea’s opposition parties handed an impeachment motion against the president.
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