Embattled South Korean president offers to resign amid influence scandal

South Korean President Park offers to resign — (Image credit: Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty Images)

South Korean President Park Geun-hye, facing impeachment and days of massive demonstrations calling for her resignation, said Tuesday that she will step down if parliament comes up with a way for her to peacefully relinquish power. "I will leave to parliament everything about my future including shortening of my term," she said in a remarkable televised address. "Once lawmakers come up with measures to transfer power in a way that minimizes any power vacuum and chaos in governance, I will step down." Park had been resisting calls from her own conservative party to quit, and facing impeachment from opposition lawmakers, over a scandal involving a friend who allegedly manipulated her and used extortion to build a personal fortune.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.