Presidential office: Park will follow whatever decision parliament makes on her fate

South Korean President Park Geun-hye will accept whatever decision parliament makes regarding her fate, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday, as opposition parties continued to press her to swiftly resign over a corruption scandal involving her and a longtime friend.

The comments came amid lingering doubts over Park's decision to leave her presidency in the hands of parliament. Addressing the nation Tuesday over the unrelenting scandal, Park pledged to step down "in line with the timeline and the procedures" set by the political parties, the Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

Opposition parties have dismissed her pledge as a political ploy to stall for time and thwart their impeachment push. They, in particular, said that the president's announcement ran counter to public calls for her to bow out "immediately and unconditionally."

"(Park) has said that whatever decision the National Assembly will make, she will follow it as long as it is based on an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties," Jung Youn-kuk, presidential spokesman, told reporters.

Asked if the presidential office thinks Park's five-year term can be shortened through a constitutional revision, Jung said, "Whether that may be a constitutional amendment or not, (Park) will follow the timeline and procedures the National Assembly will set." Park's single presidential term is due to end in February 2018.

A presidential official said that the embattled president appears to have decided to leave her fate at the legislature's discretion last weekend when some 1.5 million people took to the streets in central Seoul to call for her resignation amid opposition parties' push for her impeachment.

Source: MENA