"We hope the National Assembly will swiftly hold discussions [on the timetable and procedures for Park's resignation]," presidential spokesman Jung Youn-kun said, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.
Earlier in the day, the opposition lawmakers decided to postpone the voting on the president's impeachment, scheduled for Friday, until the next week in order to hold additional round of negotiations with the ruling Saenuri Party to secure the desired outcome, according to the news agency.
Political scandal around the president broke out when media reported that Park allowed Choi Soon-sil, her 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 big corporations and extorting money from them for her noncommercial funds. A total of $70 million was transferred to the bank accounts of these funds.
Choi was officially charged on November 20 and the prosecution said that the president was also involved in the scandal. As a result, thousands of people took to the streets demanding the president's resignation.
