Park Geun-hye, South Korean President, Willing to Quit

Park Geun-hye, the current president of South Korea, signaled Tuesday she is willing to quit the presidency if the nation’s parliament makes a plan to transfer power effectively.

The South Korean leader made the offer to help avoid impeachment efforts stemming from accusations that she allowed a confidante to control her from behind the scenes.

According to CNN, hundreds of thousands of people have called for Park’s resignation and/or impeachment amid protests of her actions, and a vote on impeachment could take place this Friday or next.

Opponents called Park’s resignation offer a stall tactic and were unhappy that Park continued to deny any wrongdoing in the scandal.

“Park can’t even decide on her own to resign from the presidency, she is letting the National Assembly decide,” The Emergency People’s Movement told CNN. A spokesman for the opposition Minjoo Party accused Park of trying to create “orderly confusion,” CNN reported.

Park’s confidante Choi Soon-sil is in jail after being accused of extorting millions of dollars from businesses to benefit her foundations and for her own use, according to CNN. Two of Park’s former presidential aides also have been indicted.

Park is immune from prosecution because of her position as president. She has said she will cooperate with the investigation, but also has claimed to be too busy to answer questions.

Some members of Park’s party had been supporting her impeachment, but now would like to delay an impeachment vote to see if a deal can be reached for her resignation. Their support is needed for an impeachment vote to pass.

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