ROK President faces impeachment over political scandal

World Today

ROK President faces impeachment over political scandal

Thousands of protesters rallied against The President of the Republic of Korea Park Geun-hye in Seoul.

President Park has appointed an independent counsel to investigate her case. She has asked Parliament to decide “how-and-when” she should quit. Opposition lawmakers dismissed the suggestion as a ploy to buy time to avoid impeachment. But just how does the impeachment process work in the R.O.K.

CCTV’s Shane Hahm explains.

For the last month Kim Ha-eun has worked day and night to have the President resign. She’s upset over the president’s inability to handle state affairs. If Park doesn’t quit voluntarily, Kim supports a move to impeach her.

An impeachment motion requires the votes from two-thirds of the National Assembly to pass. That means the motion would require bipartisan support from both ruling and opposition parties. If it passes, presidential powers will immediately be transferred to the prime minister. The Constitutional Court then reviews the case for up to 180 days before a final decision.

The only other time an R.O.K. president has faced impeachment was back in 2004 when then President Roh Moo-hyun faced impeachment for violating election laws. The Constitutional Court, however, overturned a parliamentary motion and President Roh returned to power. The current situation here, however, is different and there’s no telling how the courts would rule.