South Korean MPs vote to impeach president

MPs in South Korea have voted to impeach president Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal.

The motion was passed after 234 votes in favour and only 56 against and, as a result, authority in the Asian country has now passed to Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn.

Park is accused of using her position of power to work with a friend, Choi-Soon Sil, to persuade companies such as Samsung to donate up to $70 million (£50 million) to foundations run by Choi.

Choi, who is the daughter of a South Korean Christian cult leader, is also thought to have influenced government policy on a number of occasions.

She became involved on subjects ranging from economic policy to the nation’s approach to dealing with North Korea’s nuclear threats.

Park became the nation’s first female leader in 2012 but since the scandal came to light several weeks ago her approval ratings have fallen to a record low level of 4%.

The president said on Tuesday that she would accept the outcome of the impeachment vote, but would leave it to the constitutional court to decide whether or not the vote was valid.

There have been several protests in the nations capital Seoul over the past few weeks with organisers claiming that up to 1.5 million people took to the streets.