The country's main opposition party, the Democratic Party, will seek to impeach Hwang in conjunction with other opposition entities, Yonhap News reported on Monday. This comes after Hwang announced earlier in the day that an official investigation into a corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye would end as scheduled on Feb. 28.

"Honestly, I didn't even know you could impeach an acting President/Prime Minister," said Robert Kelly, associate professor at Pusan National University. "This will only worsen the crisis...the scandal is far bigger than anyone thought and the probe should have been given the time it needs."



The probe, carried out by the special prosecutor's office, was launched last year after 65-year old Park, currently stripped of powers, was accused of colluding with a personal friend, Choi Soon-il, in securing donations from the nation's biggest enterprises for foundations that backed Park's policies.

The special prosecution team had requested to extend the investigation for 30 days but their demand was denied early on Monday, with Hwang's office saying the probe had progressed enough to achieve its purpose, Yonhap reported. The impact on potential early presidential elections was also a factor, but another inquiry could be launched in the future, Hwang's office added.

The special prosecutor's team called the decision "regrettable" while the Democratic Party called Hwang "Park's co-conspirator."



The investigation had implicated several chaebols, or family-run Korean conglomerates, and sparked hopes for government policies to curtail the crony capitalism many allege is rampant among the country's business elites. In November, the offices of Lotte and SK Group were raided, while Samsung Group chief Lee Jae-yong was arrested earlier this month for allegedly paying bribes worth $37 million to Choi.