8 out of 10 S. Koreans support Park's impeachment

At least eight out of 10 South Koreans support the move for impeachment of President Park Geun-hye after prosecutors identified her as an accomplice to Choi Soon-sil, her longtime confidante indicted for abuse of power and extortion, a survey said on Thursday.

According to the Realmeter survey, 79.5 per cent of respondents expressed agreement on impeaching the scandal-hit President. Among them, 60.3 per cent strongly favoured the impeachment, Xinhua news agency reported.

Going against it was 14.6 per cent, but the portion of those who want Park to be impeached was up from 73.9 per cent last week when people demanded that she either voluntarily resign or be impeached.

Almost one million protesters rallied on the streets nationwide last Saturday, demanding Park step down. But, the presidential office rejected the demand, saying Park will maintain her presidency to take responsibility for state affairs.

Despite public and parliamentary opposition, the first South Korean female leader pushed a military intelligence accord with Japan, formally signing the deal on Wednesday to directly exchange information on North Korea.

Protesters in front of the South Korean Defence Ministry's headquarters, where the two sides sealed the military agreement, shouted for the President's immediate resignation, saying Park must distance herself from state affairs, including diplomacy and security.

On Sunday, the prosecution office said Park had conspired with her decades-long friend in multiple crimes. Park became the country's first sitting President to be investigated as a criminal suspect.

Prosecutors raided Samsung Group headquarters on Wednesday and searched the headquarters of Lotte and SK, two of the country's top five conglomerates, on Thursday over bribery allegations.

The country's parliament is set to launch a separate investigation into the scandal later this month. The team of a special prosecutor who will probe the case independently is said to launch investigation early next month.

The opposition vowed to put an impeachment motion to vote in the National Assembly by December 9.

--IANS

py/vt