Large crowds to celebrate S. Korean president’s impeachment
SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — Large crowds were expected to gather in South Korea’s capital on Saturday to celebrate the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye over an explosive corruption scandal that saw millions protest in previous weeks.
Protesters were planning to march near the Seoul presidential palace where the notoriously aloof Park will remain mostly alone for up to six months until the constitutional Court rules whether she should step down permanently.
On Friday, South Korean lawmakers impeached Park, a stunning and swift fall for the country’s first female leader. The vote came weeks after state prosecutors accused Park of colluding with a longtime friend to extort money and favours from companies and to give that confidante extraordinary sway over government decisions. Park has apologized for putting trust in her friend, Choi Soon-sil, but denies any legal wrongdoings.
After the vote, parliamentary officials hand-delivered formal documents to the presidential Blue House that stripped Park of her power and allowed the country’s No. 2 official, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, to assume leadership until the court rules on Park’s fate.