VOA慢速英语--韩国总统朴槿惠被迫离开办公室

 

The South Korean Constitutional Court has removed President Park Geun-hye from office.

All eight members of the court agreed with a National Assembly measure calling for her removal.

The eight worked to rule on the case by Friday before term limits reduced the normally nine-member court to seven justices.

The South Korean constitution requires at least six justices to agree on any impeachment² vote by the National Assembly.

Chief Justice Park Han-chul was forced to leave the court in January when his term ended. Monday will be the last day of Acting³ Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi’s term.

Constitutional court’s ruling

Lee read the ruling from the court’s offices in Seoul on Friday. She said Park’s “acts of violating the Constitution and law are a betrayal of the public trust.”

The court also criticized Park for being uncooperative and evasive in the investigations⁴. It said she tried to stop the legislature from acting as a “check and balance” on presidential powers.

The court said Park worked with a close friend to pressure large Korean companies to donate nearly $70 million to two organizations. Government lawyers had also accused the friend, Choi Soon-sil, of sending some of the money to businesses that she and her friends owned.

“These violations⁵ undermine the rule of law and a representative democracy,” said the acting chief justice.

Government lawyers studied reports that people close to the president were using her office to raise millions of dollars. Park has repeatedly denied the charges against her.

Until the reports of corruption⁶ appeared, many South Koreans believed she was a strong and honest leader.

Protests near the court house

Two people died in protests near the court building after the ruling was announced. Thousands of Park supporters and opponents held competing demonstrations⁷ in the area. More than 21,000 police officers were sent there to prevent clashes between the groups.

The constitution requires Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn to set a date for a new presidential election. The vote is to be held within 60 days.

U.S. reaction to the ruling

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner released a statement after the court’s ruling. It said the United States “will continue to work with Prime Minister Hwang for the remainder of his tenure⁸ as acting president, and we look forward to a productive relationship with whomsoever the people of South Korea elect to be the next president.”

The statement said the United States will continue to be a “steadfast⁹ ally, friend and partner” to South Korea, “especially with respect to defending against the threat from North Korea.”

The South Korean military has been watching North Korea closely since the impeachment vote to guard against North Korean interference in the South’s politics.

Park’s family in South Korean politics

The 64-year-old Park was the country’s first female head of state. She is now the first democratically elected South Korean president to be removed from office.

Park had been part of the nation’s political community since she was a child. She is the daughter of former president Park Chung-hee, who ruled from 1961 to 1979.

She helped her father for five years after her mother, who was well-liked in South Korea, was shot to death by a North Korean agent. The killer¹⁰ was aiming for the president.

Park Chung-hee was killed by the head of South Korea’s intelligence agency in 1979.

Before becoming president, Park Guen-hye served five terms as a lawmaker. She campaigned unsuccessfully for president before winning election to a five year term.

In December, 234 members of the 300-seat National Assembly voted to impeach¹ her.

Park said any actions she took were to benefit the country. She said she has never personally benefited from her time in office. She apologized publicly three times for not knowing that people close to her may have been involved in some wrongdoing.

While in office, she could not be tried on criminal charges. Earlier this week, a special prosecutor¹¹ was named to investigate the charges of corruption.

Words in This Story

impeach – v. to charge (a public official) with a crime done while in office

betray – v. to do something that does not agree with (your beliefs, principles, etc.)

evasive – adj. not honest or direct

checks and balances – n. a system in which the different parts of an organization (such as a government) have powers that affect and control the other parts so that no part can become too powerful

tenure – n. the amount of time that a person holds a job, office or title

steadfast – adj. very devoted¹² or loyal to a person, belief, or cause; not changing

benefit – v. to be useful or helpful to (someone or something)

1 impeach   

v.弹劾；检举

参考例句：

• We must impeach the judge for taking bribes.我们一定要检举法官收受贿赂。
• The committee decided to impeach the President.委员会决定弹劾总统。

2 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

5 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

8 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

9 steadfast   

adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的

参考例句：

• Her steadfast belief never left her for one moment.她坚定的信仰从未动摇过。
• He succeeded in his studies by dint of steadfast application.由于坚持不懈的努力他获得了学业上的成功。

10 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

11 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

12 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。