[Press Pool]
President Park Geun-hye came to a disgraced end Friday after South Korea's constitutional court endorsed her impeachment in a unanimous decision for betraying the confidence of voters.
In a historic ruling that followed months of political turmoil and a protracted leadership vacuum, the court upheld Park's impeachment to oust her from office, opening the way for a new presidential election in two months.
Park, who took office in early 2013 as the country's first female chief of executive, became the first president to be impeached in South Korea's modern political history.
She should immediately leave the presidential Blue House to face a humiliating interrogation by state prosecutors as the court's decision stripped Park of her immunity from criminal prosecution.
Park was impeached by parliament on December 9 at the height of anti-government protests that have seen millions of citizens taking to the streets in an unprecedented demonstration of people power.
Since late October, the scandal has put South Korea into a political quagmire, paralyzing state affairs and aggravating economic woes. But Park, who took office in early 2013 as South Korea's first female president, has refused to step down by herself.
Park was impeached for multiple charges that she violated the people's sovereignty and the rule of law, abused her power, infringed on the freedom of the press, neglected her duty to protect the right to life, and took part in bribery and other crimes.
She was accused of allowing her friend Choi Soon-sil -- without any government post or security clearance -- to meddle in important state affairs. Choi is on trial for siphoning off money from two public foundations created with cash donations from dozens of conglomerates, while Park's aides have been charged with peddling influence to collect money from businessmen.
Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
