[Photo by Namgung Jin-woong = timeid@ajunews.com]
South Korean opposition groups started drawing up a draft Monday on their motion to impeach President Park Geun-hye as the disgraced scandal-ridden leader ignored widespread public calls for her resignation.
Unless there is no clear commitment from Park, the opposition agreed to push for a parliamentary vote on her impeachment probably by the end of this week, with its morale lifted by huge candle-lit rallies in Seoul and elsewhere.
So far citizens have staged peaceful protests, but the situation was touch-and-go amid growing frustration and anger at Park's unyielding attitude.
At the latest rally on Saturday, calls for Park's arrest for playing a key role in a corruption scandal involving her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil and aides were louder than demands for her resignation, indicating public resentment has reached its peak.
The scandal has seriously damaged the president's authority, triggering the worst crisis of her political career and crippling state affairs, but Park who took office in early 2013 as South Korea's first female president has insisted she would carry out her duty as the head of state.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
