Assembly speaker calls for self-examination by politicians

Published : Mar 13, 2017 - 13:27 Updated : Mar 13, 2017 - 13:27

National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun said Friday the political circle should go through an introspection following the expulsion of Park Geun-hye from her office.

"There must be a thorough self-reflection by the political circle," Chung said in a statement. "This incident is an outcome of complicated problems in Korean politics, rather than personal matters implicating the (former) president and her aides."

South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun delivers a public address at the National Assembly in Seoul on March 10, 2017. (Yonhap)

Earlier in the day, the Constitutional Court upheld the ouster of Park, acknowledging she abused her power to help her friend Choi Soon-sil pursue personal gains. Park was impeached by the parliament in December.

"We need to roll out political innovations, as (the people) also impeached our politics," Chung said.

The speaker said all procedures related to the impeachment were conducted with legitimacy, urging all people to accept the decision.

"The ouster marks a farewell to the embarrassing past.

Complying with the needs of the times, we should break away from authoritarianism, collusive ties between business and politics, and corruption," Chung said.

The speaker said South Korea is faced with crucial challenges in the economic, diplomatic and security fields, and people should seek unity to overcome the hurdles. (Yonhap)