South Korean President Park Geun-hye dismissed by constitutional court in unanimous decision
The scandal has preoccupied the country for months, at a time when North Korea is pushing ahead with its missile programme and tension is brewing with China over a US missile-defence system being deployed
South Korea’s constitutional court has ruled to formally end impeached President Park Geun-hye’s rule.
The historic, unanimous verdict by the eight-judge panel means Park is South Korea’s first democratically elected leader to be ousted early from office since democracy came to the country in the late 1980s. South Korea must now hold an election within two months to choose her successor.
Watch: Park Geun-hye removed from office
Park concealed completely Choi’s meddling in state affairs and denied it whenever suspicions over the act emerged
Park’s action had “seriously impaired the spirit of ... democracy and the rule of law,” said constitutional court chief justice Lee Jung-mi. “President Park Geun-hye... has been dismissed.”
“The president has to use her power based on the constitution and the laws and have the details of her work shown transparently so that people can evaluate her works,” Lee said.
“But Park concealed completely Choi’s meddling in state affairs and denied it whenever suspicions over the act emerged and even criticised those who raised the suspicions.
“Judging from [Park’s] words and deeds, law-breaking activities have been repeated and her determination to abide by the Constitution has not been shown.