On November 20, the ruling and opposition parties officially began to discuss the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, because they judged that the criminal allegations involving the president disclosed by the prosecutors in their interim investigation report were sufficient grounds for an impeachment. "These are grave and serious allegations that cannot be ignored," said the Minjoo Party of Korea leader Choo Mi-ae." Saenuri Party lawmaker Yoo Seong-min said, "This is a very serious violation of the law and Constitution." The Saenuri Party non-mainstream, as well as the opposition has officially accepted that impeachment is inevitable, and thus politicians are now accelerating to seek impeachment.
■ Opposition + Ruling Party's Non-mainstream Promote Impeachment
Eight presidential candidates of the opposition, Moon Jae-in, Ahn Cheol-soo, Park Won-soon, Lee Jae-myung, Ahn Hee-jung, Kim Boo-kyum, Chun Jung-bae, and Sim Sang-jeung, held a meeting at the National Assembly and agreed to seek impeachment. This day, after the prosecutors released their investigation results, the key opposition figures agreed to seek impeachment, which was the last issue in resolving the Park Geun-hye, Choi Soon-sil scandal.
The eight politicians confirmed that President Park's criminal actions were obvious and serious and that they were sufficient grounds for an impeachment. They also agreed to ask the three opposition parties and the National Assembly to discuss an impeachment while continuing to promote a national movement calling for the president to step down. In other words, they decided to officially seek an impeachment while continuing to pressure the president to step down. They opted for this "two-track" strategy in order to prevent the institutional process of the impeachment from weakening the drive of the demonstrations. Originally, the opposition had considered impeachment as an option only when the president refused to resign voluntarily, and thought it premature to seek impeachment. But as the prosecutors officially stated President Park as the root of the corruption allegations, the opposition politicians decided to speed up their timetable.
In the Saenuri Party, impeachment is being discussed amongst the non-mainstream members. This day, the "emergency assembly," a group of non-mainstream members, agreed that the National Assembly should immediately embark on impeachment procedures. Concerns that they could be swept away along with the president by the "public candlelight" unless they sever their ties with the president seem to have had some effect.
■ Choosing a Prime Minister Before the Impeachment
Discussions on appointing a prime minister have also surfaced. In particular, the eight opposition candidates requested the three opposition parties to hurry and present specific measures to resolve the situation, such as the selection of a prime minister and a transitional cabinet. Unless the lawmakers replace the prime minister, the incumbent Hwang Kyo-ahn will be the acting president, if President Park is suspended of her duties after the lawmakers vote in favor of an impeachment. Hwang is "one" with the Park Geun-hye government.
An impeachment can actually mean a long political battle. In this process, the role of the prime minister, who will be the acting president, is important. So politicians are seeking to first appoint a new prime minister, in order to prevent Prime Minister Hwang from establishing “a second Park Geun-hye government,” by appointing a prime minister recommended by the lawmakers. This day, the Saenuri Party's "emergency assembly," led by the party's non-mainstream members said they would acknowledge the prime minister recommended by the opposition parties.
■ The Possibility of an Impeachment Rises
Some experts claim that the likelihood of the National Assembly voting for an impeachment is increasing. Two hundred votes are required to impeach the president. Currently, the number of seats occupied by the opposition parties including independent lawmakers is 171. At least 29 lawmakers from the Saenuri Party need to vote in favor of impeachment for the bill to pass. In a press briefing immediately after the emergency assembly, Saenuri Party lawmaker Hwang Young-cheul said, "Among the 35 lawmakers who attended the meeting, 32 were in favor of an impeachment. Since there were some lawmakers who could not attend the meeting, we believe the number of lawmakers in favor of an impeachment will increase." If these 32 lawmakers, as well as the opposition and independent lawmakers (171) vote in favor of an impeachment, the bill will pass the National Assembly. The People's Party's Emergency Committee Chairman Park Jie-won said, "After contacting the non-Park members of the Saenuri Party, we determined that it is possible to obtain enough number of votes for an impeachment."