S.Korean parliament kicks off vote on presidential impeachment

SEOUL - South Korean lawmakers on Friday kicked off a historic vote on a bill to impeach embattled President Park Geun-hye over corruption scandal involving herself and her longtime confidante.

After a short speech by a legislator to explain the impeachment proposal, 300 lawmakers moved to vote on the impeachment motion put forward by opposition and independent lawmakers last Saturday.

It is expected to take three quarters of an hour to cast ballots and count votes as legislators are required to vote one by one on printed ballot paper inside closed booths.

The regular session, which is scheduled to end on Friday, started at about 3 pm local time in the main chamber of the National Assembly in capital Seoul.