Protesters supporting South Korean President Park Geun-hye wave national flags during a rally opposing her resignation in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday (AP PHOTO).
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s parliament on Thursday passed a law that would allow a special prosecutor to investigate a corruption scandal threatening the presidency of Park Geun-hye.
The opposition-controlled National Assembly also voted for a parliamentary investigation into allegations that Park allowed a secretive confidante to manipulate power from the shadows and amass an illicit fortune.
The bill on an independent investigation was passed by a vote of 196 to 10 with 14 abstentions in the 300-seat assembly. It came as state prosecutors prepared to indict Park’s friend by Sunday. Prosecutors had sought to question Park this week, but her lawyer on Thursday asked for more time.
“I will do my best to prepare my arguments as quickly as I can and cooperate so that the investigation of the president can happen next week,” Yoo Yeong-ha, Park’s lawyer, said in a statement.
An independent investigation would increase the pressure on Park, who has been facing growing calls by opposition lawmakers to resign.