South Korean parliament kicks off vote on presidential impeachment in Seoul Dec. 9, 2016. (Xinhua/Kim Ho Min)
Different sides in South Korea have called for efforts to end the political chaos and minimize the vacuum of state affairs, after the National Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly passed a motion to impeach scandal-scarred President Park Geun-hye.
"For the past months, the state affairs have been virtually paralyzed. Since the impeachment motion has been passed, the confusion must end," National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun said, adding he hoped the passage will eradicate uncertainties.
The final tally was 234 votes in favor of impeachment, with 56 against, which far exceeded the two-thirds threshold needed to oust the president in the 300-member parliament.
The impeachment motion claims that Park gravely violated laws and the Constitution during her nearly four years in office.
It says Park's breach of the Constitution was grave enough to justify her removal from office.
The constitutional violations, according to the impeachment bill, include collusion with a longtime friend to extort money from companies and to give that confidante extraordinary sway over government decisions.
Park, 64, South Korea's first female leader, became the second president impeached by the National Assembly in the country's constitutional history.
"It is regrettable, and an unfortunate incident for our history. The confusion in state affairs must end here," said Chung Jin-suk, the floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party.
"I'm gravely accepting parliamentary and public voices, and wish the current turmoil comes to a stable end," Park told a meeting with cabinet members in the presidential office after the assembly passed the impeachment.
Park's legal authority was stopped at about 7 p.m. local time Friday (1000 GMT) after formally receiving a copied result on the vote. Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn assumed the role of acting president.
"I accept the responsibilities as the acting president, which are stipulated in the Constitution, with a heavy heart, and will make all-out efforts to stably manage state affairs no matter how difficult the situation we are facing is," Hwang said during his address to the nation.
"I believe that under this grave situation, our state affairs must not be left adrift even for a moment," he added.
Hwang also called for the consolidation of the South Korea-U.S. alliance to safeguard national interests.
Whether Park will be impeached will depend on a final decision by the Constitutional Court, which has as long as 180 days to elaborate and rule on it.
If the nine-member court rules that the reasons are sufficient to impeach Park, the president will step down and a presidential election will be held within two months after the ruling. If the court overturns the motion, Park will take office again.
Late President Roh Moo-hyun was impeached by parliament on charges of illegal electioneering in 2004, but the motion was overturned by the Constitutional Court.
Choo Mi-ae, head of the main opposition Democratic Party, said the passage marks a victory for the people, urging the Constitutional Court to promptly deliver a conclusion on its review.
The court hastened its review of Park's impeachment on Friday, demanding she make her case by Dec. 16.
"We have reached an agreement that this impeachment is an extremely significant case that requires prompt progress," Bae Bo-yoon, spokesman for the Constitutional Court, told a press briefing at the court in central Seoul.
South Korean law experts predicted that the court is widely expected to back lawmakers' decision though it is unclear how it will rule.
"Constitutional justices will judge based on common sense and legal ground, but they are now in a situation to consider the people's rage and shock," a former constitutional justice on condition of anonymity was quoted by Yonhap as saying.
But former constitutional justice Lee She-yoon told Yonhap that the judges should not be influenced by public anger, calling for a prudent review of the case based on political neutrality.
Park's scandal prompted millions of demonstrators to hold candlelight vigils for six straight Saturdays, demanding Park's immediate resignation and impeachment.
Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to take to the streets of Seoul on Saturday for a scheduled protest turned celebration.
A Gallop Korea survey released Thursday showed that Park's approval rating was 5 percent and 81 percent of the interviewees supported her impeachment.
