18 December 2016, 11:21 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On December 9, the South Korean parliament voted in favor of starting the process of impeachment against the embattled leader over the "shadow adviser" scandal involving Park's associate Choi Soon-sil. The decision is now with the country's Constitutional Court. The court's first session was held on December 12. Park's representatives claimed the impeachment violated the principle of the presumption of innocence and called on the Constitutional Court to reject the case.
"Any attempt to delay the Constitutional Court's proceedings will not be tolerated," leader of the Democratic Party said as quoted by Yonhap news agency.
The political scandal around the president broke out in late October when media reported that Park allowed Choi Soon-sil, her longtime friend and "shadow adviser," who held no official post, to edit her speeches thus letting her influence the country's policy. Moreover, Choi was suspected of pressuring South Korean corporations and extorting money from them for her non-commercial funds.
Park has rejected the claims and said that she was unaware of any wrongdoings by her associate.
