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| South Korea’s Leader Offers to Quit in April, but It’s Unlikely to Be Enough | South Korea’s Leader Offers to Quit in April, but It’s Unlikely to Be Enough |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s embattled president, Park Geun-hye, has offered to step down in April, leaders of her party said on Tuesday after meeting with her. But the offer was unlikely to prevent an impeachment vote on Friday over a corruption scandal that has turned the vast majority of the public against her. | SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s embattled president, Park Geun-hye, has offered to step down in April, leaders of her party said on Tuesday after meeting with her. But the offer was unlikely to prevent an impeachment vote on Friday over a corruption scandal that has turned the vast majority of the public against her. |
| Ms. Park appeared to accept that a vote on impeachment was inevitable and said that she was bracing for it, Chung Jin-suk, the floor leader of Ms. Park’s governing party, Saenuri, said in a statement Tuesday after meeting with the president for 55 minutes. | Ms. Park appeared to accept that a vote on impeachment was inevitable and said that she was bracing for it, Chung Jin-suk, the floor leader of Ms. Park’s governing party, Saenuri, said in a statement Tuesday after meeting with the president for 55 minutes. |
| Mr. Chung said that he told Ms. Park the party could not prevent the impeachment vote and that she nodded in response. | Mr. Chung said that he told Ms. Park the party could not prevent the impeachment vote and that she nodded in response. |
| Ms. Park said last week that she was willing to resign before the end of her term but that she would leave it to the National Assembly to decide the terms, including the date of her departure. Critics saw that offer as an attempt to divide her opponents and stall the push for impeachment. | Ms. Park said last week that she was willing to resign before the end of her term but that she would leave it to the National Assembly to decide the terms, including the date of her departure. Critics saw that offer as an attempt to divide her opponents and stall the push for impeachment. |
| Members of Saenuri loyal to Ms. Park suggested that she resign in April, and it seemed possible that some lawmakers leaning toward impeachment would accept that as a compromise. But a huge rally against the president on Saturday, the latest in a series of enormous weekly demonstrations, appears to have bolstered pro-impeachment sentiment in the National Assembly. | Members of Saenuri loyal to Ms. Park suggested that she resign in April, and it seemed possible that some lawmakers leaning toward impeachment would accept that as a compromise. But a huge rally against the president on Saturday, the latest in a series of enormous weekly demonstrations, appears to have bolstered pro-impeachment sentiment in the National Assembly. |
| It is uncertain what the outcome of an impeachment vote would be. But news outlets reported Tuesday that the pro-impeachment lawmakers were believed to have the 200 votes necessary to pass the bill in the 300-seat body. | It is uncertain what the outcome of an impeachment vote would be. But news outlets reported Tuesday that the pro-impeachment lawmakers were believed to have the 200 votes necessary to pass the bill in the 300-seat body. |
| “I have always thought I would accept” the suggestion to resign in April, Mr. Chung quoted Ms. Park as saying. Leaving office in April would cut Ms. Park’s term short by 10 months. | “I have always thought I would accept” the suggestion to resign in April, Mr. Chung quoted Ms. Park as saying. Leaving office in April would cut Ms. Park’s term short by 10 months. |
| According to Mr. Chung, Ms. Park said that if she was impeached, she would stay “calm and composed” during the next step in the process: waiting for the Constitutional Court to rule on whether her impeachment was warranted. | |
| The court has up to six months to decide. During that period, Ms. Park’s presidential powers would be suspended, and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn would step in as acting president. If the court were to rule against her impeachment, she would immediately return to office. If not, South Korea would hold an election in 60 days to select her successor. | The court has up to six months to decide. During that period, Ms. Park’s presidential powers would be suspended, and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn would step in as acting president. If the court were to rule against her impeachment, she would immediately return to office. If not, South Korea would hold an election in 60 days to select her successor. |
| Opposition lawmakers criticized Ms. Park on Tuesday for not resigning immediately. “She tries to hang on to the very last,” said Youn Kwan-suk, a spokesman for the main opposition Democratic Party. “We will fulfill the people’s will by impeaching her.” | Opposition lawmakers criticized Ms. Park on Tuesday for not resigning immediately. “She tries to hang on to the very last,” said Youn Kwan-suk, a spokesman for the main opposition Democratic Party. “We will fulfill the people’s will by impeaching her.” |
| Some political analysts say an immediate departure by Ms. Park would give the opposition a better chance of winning the presidency, because the 60 days within which an election must be held would not give Saenuri much time to recover from the disgrace. | Some political analysts say an immediate departure by Ms. Park would give the opposition a better chance of winning the presidency, because the 60 days within which an election must be held would not give Saenuri much time to recover from the disgrace. |
| The government has been paralyzed for weeks over a corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving a longtime friend and confidante of Ms. Park, Choi Soon-sil. Ms. Choi has been indicted on a charge of extorting large sums from South Korean companies. Prosecutors have said that Ms. Park helped her and have identified her as a criminal suspect, a first for a president, though she cannot be indicted while in office. | The government has been paralyzed for weeks over a corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving a longtime friend and confidante of Ms. Park, Choi Soon-sil. Ms. Choi has been indicted on a charge of extorting large sums from South Korean companies. Prosecutors have said that Ms. Park helped her and have identified her as a criminal suspect, a first for a president, though she cannot be indicted while in office. |
| Ms. Park would be the first South Korean president to face impeachment since 2004, when the National Assembly impeached Roh Moo-hyun, the president at the time, for violating election law. Two months later, the Constitutional Court ruled that Mr. Roh’s offenses were too minor to justify impeachment and restored him to office. | Ms. Park would be the first South Korean president to face impeachment since 2004, when the National Assembly impeached Roh Moo-hyun, the president at the time, for violating election law. Two months later, the Constitutional Court ruled that Mr. Roh’s offenses were too minor to justify impeachment and restored him to office. |
| But Ms. Park faces much more serious accusations. In an impeachment motion submitted to the National Assembly over the weekend, opposition parties accused Ms. Park of conspiring with Ms. Choi to force large South Korean businesses, including Hyundai and Samsung, to donate tens of millions of dollars to two foundations Ms. Choi controlled. They also accuse her of illegally sharing confidential government documents with Ms. Choi, who had no official post. Prosecutors have also accused Ms. Park of those offenses. | But Ms. Park faces much more serious accusations. In an impeachment motion submitted to the National Assembly over the weekend, opposition parties accused Ms. Park of conspiring with Ms. Choi to force large South Korean businesses, including Hyundai and Samsung, to donate tens of millions of dollars to two foundations Ms. Choi controlled. They also accuse her of illegally sharing confidential government documents with Ms. Choi, who had no official post. Prosecutors have also accused Ms. Park of those offenses. |
| The opposition parties also assert that Ms. Park forced a newspaper that reported accusations of influence-peddling by Ms. Choi’s family in 2014 to fire its president, which they say undermined freedom of the press. | The opposition parties also assert that Ms. Park forced a newspaper that reported accusations of influence-peddling by Ms. Choi’s family in 2014 to fire its president, which they say undermined freedom of the press. |
| The impeachment motion is expected to be formally presented to the National Assembly’s plenary session when it opens on Thursday. A vote would be held the next day. | The impeachment motion is expected to be formally presented to the National Assembly’s plenary session when it opens on Thursday. A vote would be held the next day. |
| On Tuesday, nine high-ranking South Korean executives, including Jay Y. Lee, the vice chairman of Samsung, and Chung Mong-koo, the chairman of Hyundai, were questioned in the National Assembly about money their companies had given to Ms. Choi’s foundations. They admitted giving the money, confirming that the requests had come from aides to Ms. Park and saying they could not say no to such a request from her office. | On Tuesday, nine high-ranking South Korean executives, including Jay Y. Lee, the vice chairman of Samsung, and Chung Mong-koo, the chairman of Hyundai, were questioned in the National Assembly about money their companies had given to Ms. Choi’s foundations. They admitted giving the money, confirming that the requests had come from aides to Ms. Park and saying they could not say no to such a request from her office. |
| But they said they had not asked anything of Ms. Park in return, thwarting opposition lawmakers who hoped to establish a quid pro quo in hopes of strengthening their case that the donations were bribes. Lawmakers have speculated that companies received, or hoped to receive, favors from Ms. Park in return for the money, including presidential pardons for company chairmen imprisoned for corruption or lucrative government licenses to run duty-free shops. | But they said they had not asked anything of Ms. Park in return, thwarting opposition lawmakers who hoped to establish a quid pro quo in hopes of strengthening their case that the donations were bribes. Lawmakers have speculated that companies received, or hoped to receive, favors from Ms. Park in return for the money, including presidential pardons for company chairmen imprisoned for corruption or lucrative government licenses to run duty-free shops. |