“Even if there is great public anger over Park for now, many lawmakers may be reluctant to take such a big risk by walking into an impeachment minefield”, said political commentator Kim Hong-Guk.
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Park Gyeun-hye had earlier announced that she was severing her ties with Choi Soon-sil and dismissed eight of her political aides who had close ties with her disgraced friend.
Observers say Park is likely to do all she can to serve out her time because a sitting president cannot be charged with a criminal offence except insurrection or treason.
Prosecutors are investigating whether Park also had various injections prescribed for herself using Choi’s name at private clinics, without the knowledge of the official presidential medical staff.
As the chorus grows louder for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to resign over a corruption scandal, a power vacuum is weighing on her administration, leaving her political survival in doubt and its vulnerable economy exposed to political shocks.
“However, because of the president’s impunity from prosecution stated in Article 84 of the constitution, we can not indict the president”, Lee said.
Analysts said the prosecutors’ comments about Park’s role increased the prospect that she would face impeachment.
It comes following the state prosecutors’s statement that part of Park’s apology last month was not true.
But the president went back on her word as soon as prosecutors decided she had a case to answer. She never benefitted from her actions in any way.
Since South Korea’s first free and fair election in 1987, every president has faced graft investigations after leaving office and one – Roh Moo-hyun – committed suicide as a corruption probe closed in on his family.
South Korean law stipulates that the Constitutional Court should make the final decision within 180 days after it receives an impeachment proposal from the National Assembly. The motion has to be confirmed by the court with at least six of its nine judges supporting it.
It has been alleged that Korean chaebol gave nearly $65m in donations to Choi’s foundations to secure influence for their special interests in the Blue House.
Since Hwang is close to Park, having him take over if Park is impeached – as would happen as things stand now – could leave her with some influence over government.
Choi and the two former aides were indicted on criminal charges, including abuse of power and extortion.
In February 2018, Park Geun-Hye’s five-year term will culminate but she hasn’t yet commented on her resignation and has only apologised twice, regarding her negligence in her relationship with Choi. During his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump cast doubt on the future of security and trade agreements between South Korea and the United States.
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With North Korea’s unsafe provocations demanding urgent and effective worldwide responses, South Korea’s neighbors are keen to see the country return to a normal situation as soon as possible.
