9 December 2016, 09:38 GMT
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the South Korean parliament voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye with 234 votes in favor and 56 votes against. Following the vote, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn assumed the leadership until the Constitutional Court decides whether to uphold the motion.
"We have a strong relationship with the Republic of Korea and I wouldn’t expect that to change," Schultz told reporters.
Schultz explained the United States is following the developments in South Korea and looks forward to working with acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn.
A political scandal around the president broke out in late October 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 non-commercial funds.
