[Yonhap News Photo]
South Korea's disgraced President Park Geun-hye will resume her public activities Tuesday to make an unscheduled visit to parliament, her spokesman said, ending her self-imposed confinement in her office for two weeks.
Park will visit National Assembly speaker Chung Sye-kyun before noon, the spokesman told reporters, adding the president hopes to hold frank discussions with the speaker and opposition party leaders.
The visit aimed at ending a political deadlock caused by Park's controversial ties with a longtime friend arrested for meddling in state affairs comes a day after opposition leaders turned down a request for dialogue, urging the president to stay away from politics.
On Monday, Choo Mi-ae, the leader of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party, threatened to join anti-government protests calling for Park's resignation if she continues to ignore an opposition request for a neutral cabinet.
Park has named Kim Byong-joon, a 62-year-old college professor who served as a presidential aide for South Korea's late liberal president Roh Moo-hyun, as her new prime minister. Opposition parties have refused to approve the nomination.
Last week Park, who took office in early 2013 as South Korea's first female president, said she was ready to face an investigation by state prosecutors or an independent counsel, blaming herself for inviting a political crisis.
The president appealed for the early normalization of government administration, expressing concern about a power vacuum. Public resentment, however, remained unabated. Tens of thousands of protesters staged a candle-lit rally in central Seoul last Saturday, demanding Park's impeachment and resignation.
Prosecutors have arrested Choi on charges of attempted fraud and abuse of authority as well as two former presidential aides.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim45@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
