South Korea’s Constitutional Court has held a second hearing on the case of the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. It will next meet at the end of the week when it will try to reach agreement on pre-trial witness and evidence selection.

The December 9th decision to impeach President Park came after allegations she colluded with a long-time friend to extort money and favours from companies, and allowed the friend, Choi Soon-sil, to manipulate state affairs. Both deny the allegations.

The scandal has led to some MPs breaking away from Park’s ruling Saenuri party to form a new one, tentatively titled the New Conservatives, and they hope to make a very high-profile recruit to lead them; the current UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Critics say the president only has herself to blame.

“Park loyalists have forgotten the true values of conservatism, which has resulted in the loss of the people’s trust. Their loyalty to the president and ignorance of the people’s voice and truth allowed Choi Soon-sil to meddle in state affairs,” said MP Chung Byong-gug.

The 29 rebel MPs want Ban Ki-moon as their presidential candidate, and hope to become South Korea’s leading Conservative party. His 10-year-tenure at the UN ends at the end of the year. He has not declared his intention to stand, and he has never held elected office at home.