South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Friday permanently removed President Park Geun-hye from office, upholding a vote by lawmakers to impeach her over a corruption scandal. The unanimous ruling came after months of protests and capped a stunning fall for the country’s first woman president. Two people died and about 30 were injured in clashes between protesters and police near the court. Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi said the court had “no other choice” after finding that Park colluded with her longtime confidante, Choi Soon-sil, to extort tens of millions of dollars from businesses. Park’s ouster adds to the country’s political turmoil at a time of rising tensions with North Korea. Elections to pick a new president must be held within 60 days, and polls suggest Park’s downfall has shifted support to the opposition, which favors more engagement with North Korea.
Crowds cheered as a unanimous Supreme Court affirmed the impeachment of a corrupt president. That was South Korea today. C'mon, America!
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) March 10, 2017