Seoul: South Korean President Park Geun-hye received a major blow on Tuesday as 29 lawmakers decided to quit her ruling Saenuri Party amid a political scandal surrounding her.
This move comes after Park was impeached for sharing government documents with her confidante Choi Soon-sil.
The ruling Saenuri Party held 128 of the 300 seats in Parliament before the lawmakers announced their decision to quit the party.
"Those who remain loyal to President Park within Saenuri Party have forgotten about the true value of being conservative and, in result, lost the faith of the people," CNN quoted Member of Parliament Choung Byoung-gug as saying at a news conference announcing the new party.
President Park Geun-hye has been swimming in troubled waters since it was revealed that her confidante and adviser, Choi Soon-sil, had access to confidential government documents despite holding no official government position.
Choi is accused of using her relationship with Park to accumulate millions of dollars in donations to her foundations and has been detained after being charged with abuse of power, fraud and coercion.
Parliament had voted to impeach Park on December 9, and suspend her from the office.
"I solemnly accept the voices of the National Assembly and the people and sincerely hope that the current confusion will come to an end in an orderly manner," Park said after the impeachment vote.
Prime Minister of South Korea Hwang Kyo-ahn became the acting president for a term of up to 180 days after the impeachment vote.
