S. Korea parliament impeaches president
from AP


I did not have sexual relations with that woman

SEOUL, South Korea -- President Roh Moo-hyun was stripped of his constitutional powers Friday in an unprecedented impeachment vote that rattled a government already struggling with the North Korean nuclear crisis and a sluggish economic recovery.

Thousands of the president's supporters rallied in front of the National Assembly building in a candlelight vigil.

"We oppose impeachment! This is a mutiny!" read banners held by the chanting protesters.

The parliament voted to impeach Roh after hours of scuffles and protests that included one Roh supporter setting himself on fire and another man trying to drive his car up the parliament steps and into the building.

Prime Minister Goh Kun was to assume Roh's duties, while the Constitutional Court decides whether to unseat the president. The powers include his role as commander in chief of South Korea's 650,000-member military, which faces off against communist North Korea's 1.1 million armed forces across the world's most heavily armed border.

Goh instructed the Defense Ministry to heighten military vigilance along the border, although the ministry said it has detected no unusual military movement.
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The opposition Grand National and Millennium Democratic parties cited three main reasons for the impeachment: Roh's violation of election laws, corruption scandals surrounding former aides, and his alleged mismanagement of the world's 12th largest economy.

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S. Korea parliament impeaches president

By HANS GREIMEL, Associated Press
Last updated: 8:46 a.m., Friday, March 12, 2004

SEOUL, South Korea -- President Roh Moo-hyun was stripped of his constitutional powers Friday in an unprecedented impeachment vote that rattled a government already struggling with the North Korean nuclear crisis and a sluggish economic recovery.

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Thousands of the president's supporters rallied in front of the National Assembly building in a candlelight vigil.

"We oppose impeachment! This is a mutiny!" read banners held by the chanting protesters.

The parliament voted to impeach Roh after hours of scuffles and protests that included one Roh supporter setting himself on fire and another man trying to drive his car up the parliament steps and into the building.

Prime Minister Goh Kun was to assume Roh's duties, while the Constitutional Court decides whether to unseat the president. The powers include his role as commander in chief of South Korea's 650,000-member military, which faces off against communist North Korea's 1.1 million armed forces across the world's most heavily armed border.

Goh instructed the Defense Ministry to heighten military vigilance along the border, although the ministry said it has detected no unusual military movement.

The vote marked a spectacular setback for Roh, a 57-year-old, self-made human rights lawyer who came to office 13 months ago on a populist ticket that promised better relations with communist North Korea and a more equal footing with the country's biggest ally, the United States.

His tenure was marked by corruption scandals. But Friday's vote -- the first time South Korea's parliament has impeached a president -- was a crowning embarrassment for the feisty, independent leader.

The matter now goes to the Constitutional Court, which has 180 days to approve or reject Roh's ouster. If it approves the ouster, a special election will choose a new president.

In a three-line statement issued by Roh's office, the administration said it would subject itself to "the judgment of history and the people" and hoped that the court "will make a quick decision to minimize confusion in state affairs."

Chief Justice Yoon Young-chul could not say when hearings would begin. But he called the impeachment "a matter of grave consequence" and pledged to handle it "in a speedy and precise manner."

The impeachment comes as the government prepares for nationwide parliamentary elections next month.

Dozens of police buses with bars on the windows blocked about 3,000 Roh supporters from marching on the sprawling National Assembly complex. No major clashes were reported.

Earlier Friday, dozens of Roh critics also rallied in the area, dancing on the sidewalks and chanting: "Today is a national holiday!" They soon dispersed.

The pro-Roh Uri Party, which had tried to physically block the vote by commandeering the National Assembly podium from which votes are called, also announced its 47 lawmakers would resign en masse to protest.

Tensions are running high on the peninsula amid the deepening international standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons development. North and South Korea have had thousands of troops dug in along their borders since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Roh believes that dialogue is the only way to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons development and is a supporter of his predecessor President Kim Dae-jung's "sunshine" policy of engaging the North.

"The people feel unease because the impeachment bill was passed at a time that the economy faces difficulties," Goh said. "The Cabinet and all government officials must do all they can to stabilize the people's lives and ensure that the country's international credibility will not be damaged."

The National Security Council acknowledged the upheaval "could invite danger to the nation's security situation," but it issued a statement saying security and foreign affairs policies wouldn't change.

Goh, a 66-year-old lifelong bureaucrat, said it was "deplorable that this kind of incident has happened" and that he "cannot but feel sorry that the nation that the situation has reached the point it has."

The opposition Grand National and Millennium Democratic parties cited three main reasons for the impeachment: Roh's violation of election laws, corruption scandals surrounding former aides, and his alleged mismanagement of the world's 12th largest economy.

Recovering from its initial plunge, South Korea's KOSPI stock index ended down 2.5 percent. The U.S. dollar surged nearly 1 percent to 1,180 won. But Moody's Investor Service, a major credit rating service, said the turmoil would not affect its rating of South Korea.

South Korea's economic growth rate slowed to 2.9 percent last year, from 6.3 percent in 2002. The government aims at 5 percent growth this year, but poor domestic consumption and tensions over North Korea's nuclear crisis burden the economy.

"This crisis doesn't mean there is a problem with our economy. We have so far established an economic system that is resistant toward political upheavals," Finance and Economy Minister Lee Hun-Jai said.

Roh has yet to apologize for accusations that he broke election laws by stumping for the Uri Party in the upcoming April 15 parliamentary campaign. Roh does not belong to the Uri party but has said he wants to join.

The National Elections Commission ruled last week that Roh had engaged in illegal electioneering, but that the infraction was minor, not warranting criminal charges.

"I worry the nation may split into pro-impeachment and anti-impeachment factions," said Lee Jung-hee, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.

Even before the impeachment, Roh's credibility had been undermined by corruption scandals in his administration. In December, three former aides were indicted on charges of collecting illicit funds from Samsung, LG and other big businesses for the December 2002 presidential campaign.

Roh says his campaign was far cleaner than the opposition's. Prosecutors' investigations indicate the GNP amassed $72 million and that Roh's camp accepted $9.4 million.

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