South Korea's Constitutional Court upholds President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment

The Constitutional Court in South Korea upheld the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye on Friday. She has now been formally removed from office over a bribery and big business corruption scandal that dragged on for months. Park is the first democratically elected leader in South Korea to be kicked out of office. The nation’s constitution states that presidential election shall be held in 60 days.

And now the question is, will they “lock her up”?

Early report from South Korean Yonhap News Agency:

The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye Friday, removing her from office after a 92-day leadership crisis and triggering a presidential election in the weeks to come.

The ruling, which was announced by the court’s acting chief and televised live, made Park the nation’s first democratically elected leader to be ousted.

She was impeached by parliament on Dec. 9 on charges of letting a close friend meddle in state affairs, colluding with her to extort money from conglomerates, and neglecting her duties during a 2014 ferry sinking that killed more than 300.

An election to pick her successor must be held within 60 days and many expect it to fall on May 9.

South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye smiles as she attends the ASEAN plus South Korea meeting during ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos September 7, 2016. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

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