16 November 2016•Update: 16 November 2016
By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party warned President Park Geun-hye Wednesday that her “safety” could be under threat once her term ends.
The country’s three liberal parties have all demanded that the president resign over a power abuse scandal that has dragged her Gallup Korea approval rating down to a record-low five percent this month.
Park’s position means she is legally protected from criminal prosecution while in office, although she has already vowed to cooperate with investigators looking into a financial scam allegedly involving several figures close to the president.
A private confidante has been additionally accused of wielding an inappropriate level of influence over state affairs.
Park is to become the first sitting South Korean president to be questioned by prosecutors -- but opposition lawmakers are not happy that her attorney appears to be pushing for a postponement until next week.
Lawyer Yoo Yeong-ha was only officially appointed Tuesday and he reportedly needs more time to study the case.
After last Saturday’s mass protest involving more than a million people in Seoul, Democratic Party floor leader Woo Sang-ho suggested that prosecutors should not allow any delay.
“If this situation continues, we cannot guarantee the safety of Park after her term ends," Woo was quoted as saying by local news agency Yonhap.
The president’s five-year period in office is not due to finish until 2018.
Woo’s minor opposition People’s Party counterpart Park Jie-won accused her of holding out for “a counterattack”.
“The presidential office and the pro-Park faction of the [ruling] Saenuri Party is only attempting to drag more time to seek an exit from the situation,” the whip claimed.
