{
  "id": "IN10666",
  "type": "CRS Insight",
  "typeId": "INSIGHTS",
  "number": "IN10666",
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  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 459572,
      "date": "2017-03-10",
      "retrieved": "2017-07-17T16:56:14.254741",
      "title": "A Change in Direction for Seoul? The Impeachment of South Korea\u2019s President",
      "summary": "On March 10, 2017, South Korea\u2019s Constitutional Court unanimously voted to uphold the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, nearly 11 months before her term was due to end. The decision was the latest development in a corruption scandal that has engulfed South Korean politics and the business world since October 2016, and comes against the backdrop of North Korean missile tests, Chinese anger at the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea, and uncertainties about the direction of U.S. foreign policy under the Trump Administration. By law, South Korea must hold an election for a new president within 60 days. Early opinion polls have been dominated by candidates to the left of the conservative Park government, and in many cases these candidates support policies toward North Korea, China, and Japan that differ in significant ways from U.S. approaches. Should South Korea change course, it would end a period in which U.S. and South Korean policies, particularly on North Korea, have been largely in alignment.\nThe Impeachment\nSouth Korea\u2019s National Assembly impeached Park in December 2016, on charges of \u201cextensive and serious violations of the Constitution and the law\u201d stemming from a corruption scandal. From October to December, millions of South Koreans filled the streets in weekly anti-Park protests, which became the largest demonstrations in the country\u2019s history. By early March 2017, according to one poll, 77% of Koreans favored her removal from office. Following the court decision, thousands of Park\u2019s supporters protested, leading to clashes with the police and reportedly resulting in two deaths. \nWhile in office, Park was immune from criminal prosecution. A special prosecutor has recommended Park\u2019s indictment on charges that include receiving $38 million in bribes from Samsung, South Korea\u2019s largest business conglomerate. Thus far, 30 people have been indicted in the case, including the de facto head of Samsung, Lee Jae-yong. If a prosecution is initiated, Park would be the fourth South Korean president to be subject to a criminal investigation since the country became a democracy in 1988.  \nWhat Happens Next?\nSouth Korea\u2019s Prime Minister, Hwang Kyo-ahn, who has served as acting president since the December impeachment, is to continue in this role until the election. Hwang was appointed by Park, and could become a candidate. South Korea\u2019s political parties must nominate candidates by the end of March.  Immediately after the election, which must be held by May 9, the newly elected president is to assume office.\nImplications for the United States\nPark\u2019s removal from office is likely to have short- and medium-term implications for U.S. interests in Northeast Asia. Until the May election, the interim government\u2014tainted by its association with Park\u2014is unlikely to pursue significant foreign policy initiatives as the condensed presidential campaign plays out.   Meanwhile, North Korea has become increasingly belligerent, the Trump Administration is undertaking a review of U.S. North Korea policy, and China has sharpened its criticism of the initial deployment of a ballistic missile defense system, called Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), in South Korea. Over the medium term, the impeachment has fueled momentum for South Korea\u2019s opposition parties, which traditionally have been more critical of U.S. initiatives\u2014particularly attempts to escalate pressure on North Korea\u2014as well as of recent South Korean agreements to improve relations with Japan, which the United States supported. \nPositions of Major Presidential Candidates \nFour of the top five declared or presumed presidential candidates are from opposition parties: the Minjoo (Democratic) Party, South Korea\u2019s largest, and the People\u2019s Party. Most candidates are expected to call for ways to address economic disparities and reforms to South Korea\u2019s economic system, themes that resonated before the political scandal broke.\nFor weeks, the front-runner in opinion polls has been the Minjoo Party\u2019s Moon Jae-In, who narrowly lost to Park in the 2012 presidential election. Moon has pledged to visit North Korea as president, and to reopen and expand twenty-fold the Kaesong Industrial Complex, an inter-Korean industrial park located in North Korea that Park shut down in 2016 to increase pressure on Pyongyang. Arguing that a \u201csanctions-only\u201d policy has made North Korea more dependent on China, Moon has said that Seoul must improve inter-Korean relations while simultaneously imposing sanctions on Pyongyang. Moon\u2019s Minjoo party has opposed the Park government\u2019s conclusion of two agreements with Japan: one to address the \u201ccomfort women\u201d controversy and the other a military information sharing pact. On some issues, Moon has adopted a more centrist position. He has expressed support for the U.S.-ROK alliance and in early 2017 backed away from earlier suggestions that the THAAD deployment be suspended, instead saying that it should be deferred to the next president. \nAmong other leading Minjoo Party candidates, South Chungcheong Province governor Ahn Hee-jung has adopted a harder line toward North Korea than Moon, placing more emphasis on punishing North Korea. In contrast, Seongnam City mayor Lee Jae-myung, another Minjoo Party member, is campaigning to Moon\u2019s left on foreign policy issues, openly opposing the deployment of THAAD, calling for largely unconditional engagement with North Korea, and promoting greater foreign policy independence.\nAhn Cheol-Soo, the leading politician from the People\u2019s Party, South Korea\u2019s third-largest, has emphasized dialogue with Pyongyang to complement sanctions and called for a resumption of multilateral talks to freeze North Korea\u2019s nuclear and missile programs. Ahn also has supported increasing South Korea\u2019s military spending, and has indicated that the THAAD deployment should proceed.  \nMeanwhile, as of March 10, South Korea\u2019s more conservative political parties did not have a major declared candidate polling more than the low single digits, a reflection of conservative forces\u2019 disarray since Park\u2019s impeachment. In December, Park\u2019s former Saenuri (New Frontier) Party split in two. The larger of these groupings renamed itself the Liberty Korea Party (LKP, sometimes translated as the Freedom Korea Party) and in late February was polling at around 10%.",
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