What awaits President Park Geun-hye?

Ms. Park will have to leave the Presidential Palace to prepare for prosecutors' investigation into allegations of corruption and abuse of power.

Park Geun-hye was impeached following a ruling by the Constitutional Court. Photo: Reuters

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has become the country's first democratically elected leader to be impeached after the Constitutional Court agreed this morning to her impeachment request, according to the Telegraph.

The ruling was issued by South Korea's Supreme Court after the National Assembly decided to impeach and strip her of power over a corruption scandal involving her close friend Choi Soon-sil.

This impeachment decision pushes South Korea into a race to elect a new president within the next 60 days, leaving a major power vacuum at a time when Seoul is grappling with escalating regional tensions following Pyongyang's repeated ballistic missile tests.

According to legal experts, this ruling could also cost Park, South Korea's first female president, dearly in terms of her political career.

According to the Korea Times, after being impeached, Park will have to leave the Blue House, the South Korean presidential residence, and return to her old home in southern Seoul without the special security detail that used to protect her.

She also automatically lost her presidential immunity and will have to prepare all the necessary documents for the anti-corruption and power manipulation investigation by prosecutors. She is likely to be prosecuted for colluding with Choi, who is accused of accepting bribes and engaging in corruption after pressuring large South Korean companies to pay money in exchange for certain political benefits.

Park was accused of secretly following Choi's advice on a range of issues, from policy toward North Korea to the clothes in her wardrobe, even though her close friend held no official position in the government.

South Korean prosecutors have prepared a total of 13 charges against her, including abuse of power, coercive fundraising, and disclosure of state secrets.

A South Korean shows support for President Park. Photo: Reuters

Although both Park and Choi have claimed innocence, millions of South Koreans have held massive protests demanding her impeachment for months. The entire South Korean society has been shaken by the scale of the scandal, which involves not only the president but also giant corporations like Samsung.

Many in the protesting crowd erupted in cheers upon hearing the ruling from the Constitutional Court. Thousands of police officers were deployed in the streets to prevent potential clashes between supporters and opponents of Park.

The Korea Times suggests that Park's supporters will flock to the Constitutional Court in the coming days to ask the judges to reconsider the decision. The confrontation between those who oppose and support Park could plunge South Korea into further chaos.

However, legal experts point out that the Constitutional Court's ruling has the highest legal value, and all South Korean citizens, regardless of their political views, are obligated to abide by this ruling.

Nevertheless, Park's impeachment will undoubtedly affect relations between South Korea and the United States, especially as Washington has just begun deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system to the Korean Peninsula, despite threats and objections from China.

South Korean analysts believe the Constitutional Court's ruling will be an opportunity for the country's political leaders to end divisions, conflicts, and animosity, ushering in a new era for the nation and preparing to deal with the post-impeachment crisis.

South Korean National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun also urged the people and government to work together to restore the nation to normal functioning following the Constitutional Court's ruling.

"For at least 100 days, or even up to six months, the country will be unable to function normally, causing suffering for many people," Chung said. He urged senior South Korean lawmakers to play a key role in uniting the people and moving the country forward.

For her part, Park needs to accept the pain following the verdict in order to unite the country, the least she can do after an unprecedented presidential scandal in South Korean history, the Korea Times emphasized.

According to VNE