SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment Friday strips her of power — but not the perks.

Even as her prime minister governs in her stead, Park gets to keep living at the presidential Blue House, using her official car and plane, collecting the same monthly salary (about $15,000 reportedly) and receiving round-the-clock security.

She also holds onto the title “President.”

But with nothing officially to do, it’s uncertain how she’ll spend her days during the up-to-six months the country’s Constitutional Court has to decide whether to accept the impeachment and formally end her presidency.

In 2004, when President Roh Moo-hyun was impeached by lawmakers, he spent his time at the Blue House reading books and newspapers and mountain-climbing with journalists, according to South Korean media.

The bureaucratic machinery that suspended Park and transferred her powers to Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn began churning as soon as the impeachment motion passed Friday.

National Assembly Speaker Chung Se-kyun ordered the chairman of the assembly’s legislation and judiciary committee to convey the original version of the motion to the Constitutional Court. Upon receiving the motion, the court will begin its deliberations.

Chung also sent parliamentary officials to deliver copies of the impeachment motion and an official document on the motion’s passage to both the Blue House and the Constitutional Court. Technically, the president’s powers are transferred to the prime minister the moment one of the president’s aides receives the papers.

Hwang will handle the president’s duties until the Constitutional Court rules on Park’s fate. If the court removes her, he would continue to serve that role until a presidential election is held; that vote would have to take place within 60 days of Park’s removal. Through it all, his title will remain prime minister.

Park loses her powers as commander-in-chief of South Korea’s 630,000-member military, and her ability to appoint officials, sign treaties with foreign countries and carry out special pardons of inmates. Park also cannot preside over meetings of presidential secretaries.

With Park allowed to stay at the Blue House, Hwang is to govern the country from his Seoul office. </s> On Friday morning, South Korea's Constitutional Court voted to remove President Park Geun-hye from office, upholding her impeachment by the National Assembly in December. Acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi read the unanimous ruling from the eight-member panel on national TV, saying Park committed "acts that violated the Constitution and laws" and that "betrayed the trust of the people and were of the kind that cannot be tolerated for the sake of protecting the Constitution."

The judicial and legislative ouster, a first for South Korea, caps a scandal involving Park, her childhood friend and adult confidante Choi Soon-sil, and some of the country's biggest business executives. Choi, two former presidential aides, and several business executives — notably Samsung acting chairman and heir apparent Lee Jae-yong — have already been indicted in the sprawling scandal. Park, 65, not only lost the presidency Friday but also her legal immunity, opening her up to prosecution for bribery, extortion, and abuse of power. South Korea will hold new elections within 60 days, and the liberal opposition Democratic Party is expected to take power for the first time in a decade. Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn will stay in office in the interim.

Park, South Korea's first female president, is the daughter of former Cold War-era dictator Park Chung-hee, who ruled from 1961 until his assassination in 1979. Much of Park's support came from older, more conservative South Koreans who remember the economic leap forward ushered in by her father. Younger and more liberal Koreans had protested for months calling for Park's ouster amid the growing scandal. As the verdict was read on Friday, Park's critics cheered in the streets while some of her supporters wept. Peter Weber </s> SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea’s Constitutional Court removed President Park Geun-hye from office on Friday over a graft scandal involving the country’s conglomerates at a time of rising tensions with North Korea and China.

The ruling sparked protests from hundreds of Park’s supporters, two of whom were killed in clashes with police outside the court, and a festive rally by those who had demanded her ouster who celebrated justice being served.

“We did it. We the citizens, the sovereign of this country, opened a new chapter in history,” Lee Tae-ho, the leader of a movement to oust Park that has held mostly peaceful rallies in downtown involving millions, told a large gathering in Seoul.

Park becomes South Korea’s first democratically elected leader to be forced from office, capping months of paralysis and turmoil over the corruption scandal that also landed the head of the Samsung conglomerate in detention and on trial.

A snap presidential election will be held within 60 days.

Park did not appear in court, and a spokesman said she would not be making any comment. She also would not leave the presidential Blue House residence on Friday.

“Park is not leaving the Blue House today,” Blue House spokesman Kim Dong Jo told Reuters.

Park was stripped of her powers after parliament voted to impeach her but has remained in the president’s official compound.

The court’s acting chief judge, Lee Jung-mi, said Park had violated the constitution and law “throughout her term,” and despite the objections of parliament and the media, she had concealed the truth and cracked down on critics.

Park has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing.

The ruling to uphold parliament’s Dec. 9 vote to impeach her marks a dramatic fall from grace of South Korea’s first woman president and daughter of Cold War military dictator Park Chung-hee. Both her parents were assassinated.

Park, 65, no longer has immunity and could now face criminal charges over bribery, extortion and abuse of power in connection with allegations of conspiring with her friend, Choi Soon-sil.

Graphic: Who's Who in Korea scandal here

MARKETS RISE

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn was appointed acting president and will remain in that post until the election. He called on Park’s supporters and opponents to put their differences aside to prevent deeper division.

“It is time to accept, and close the conflict and confrontation we have suffered,” Hwang said in a televised speech.

A liberal presidential candidate, Moon Jae-in, is leading in opinion polls to succeed Park, with 32 percent support in one poll released on Friday. Hwang, who has not said whether he will seek the presidency, leads among conservatives, none of whom has more than single-digit poll ratings.

“Given Park’s spectacular demise and disarray among conservatives, the presidential contest in May is the liberals’ to lose,” said Yonsei University professor John Delury.

Relations with China and the United States could dominate the coming presidential campaign, after the U.S. military this month started deploying the U.S. THAAD missile defense system in South Korea in response to North Korea’s stepped-up missile and nuclear tests.

Beijing has vigorously protested against the deployment, which was agreed last year between Washington and Seoul, fearing its radar could see into its missile deployments. China has curbed travel to South Korea and targeted Korean companies operating in the mainland, prompting retaliatory measures from Seoul.

The U.S. military said on Friday it would keep delivering THAAD components, separating the issue from South Korea’s internal political crisis. The new U.S. administration has been keen to install the system as quickly as possible due to concerns that a new government in Seoul could block the deployment.

“We have a strong relationship and will continue to work with South Korea,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said. “It’s a domestic issue in which the United States takes no position in the outcome of that election.”

The Seoul market's benchmark KOSPI index .KS11 and the won currency KRW= rose after the ruling.

The prospect of a new president in the first half of this year instead of prolonged uncertainty would buoy domestic demand as well as the markets, said Trinh Nguyen, senior economist at Natixis in Hong Kong.

“The hope is that this will allow the country to have a new leader that can address long-standing challenges such as labor market reforms and escalated geopolitical tensions,” he said.

Park was accused of colluding with her friend Choi and a former presidential aide, both of whom have been on trial, to pressure big businesses to donate to two foundations set up to back her policy initiatives.

The court said Park had “completely hidden the fact of (Choi’s) interference with state affairs.”

Park was also accused of soliciting bribes from the head of the Samsung Group for government favors, including backing a merger of two Samsung affiliates in 2015 that was seen as supporting family succession and control over the country’s largest “chaebol,” or conglomerate.

Samsung Group leader Jay Y. Lee has been accused of bribery and embezzlement in connection with the scandal and is in detention. His trial began on Thursday.

Protesters supporting South Korean President Park Geun-hye clash with riot policemen near the Constitutional Court in Seoul, South Korea. Kyodo/via REUTERS

He and Samsung have denied wrongdoing.

Graphic: South Korea's impeachment - here

‘COMMON CRIMINAL’

The scandal and verdict have exposed fault lines in a country long divided by Cold War politics.

While Park’s conservative supporters clashed with police outside the court, elsewhere most people welcomed her ouster. A recent poll showed more than 70 percent supported her impeachment.

Hundreds of thousands of people have for months been gathering at peaceful rallies in Seoul every weekend to call for Park to step down.

On Friday, hundreds of Park’s supporters, many of them elderly, tried to break through police barricades at the courthouse. Police said one 72-year-old man was taken to hospital with a head injury and died. The circumstances of the second death were being investigated.

Six people were injured, protest organizers said.

Police blocked the main thoroughfare running through downtown Seoul in anticipation of bigger protests.

Park will be making a tragic and untimely departure from the Blue House for the second time in her life.

In 1979, having served as acting first lady after her mother was killed by a bullet meant for her father, she and her two siblings left the presidential compound after their father was killed.

This time, she could end up in jail.

Prosecutors have named Park as an accomplice in two court cases linked to the scandal, suggesting she is likely to be investigated.

North Korean state media wasted little time labeling Park a criminal.

“She had one more year left as ‘president’ but, now she’s been ousted, she will be investigated as a common criminal,” the North’s state KCNA news agency said shortly after the court decision.

Slideshow (21 Images)

Graphic: Falls from grace around the world - here </s> South Korea's Parliament approved a motion Friday to impeach President Park Geun-hye, suspending her from office pending a Constitutional Court decision. Motoko Rich, The Times's Tokyo bureau chief, reporting from Seoul, describes the scandal that led to the vote. </s> South Korean President Park Geun-hye's powers were suspended at 7:03 p.m. on Friday after parliament voted to impeach her, her office said.

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn took over as acting president and told a cabinet meeting he would do his best to ensure stable government continued to function.

South Korea's parliament voted on Friday to impeach President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal, suspending her powers.

The country’s Constitutional Court will have up to 180 days to determine whether to formally end Park’s presidency. During that time Park would be suspended as president but not removed, with her duties, including commander in chief of South Korea’s 630,000—member military, temporarily transferred to the prime minister until the court reaches a decision on whether her impeachment is constitutional.

As more than 1,500 protesters massed in front of the National Assembly building, lawmakers inside, some of them taking selfies as they waited, lined up to enter curtained voting rooms, where they recorded their anonymous votes and then emerged and put their folded ballots in boxes.

Park’s confidante, Choi Soon—sil, and two former presidential aides allegedly linked to the scandal have been indicted. Park, who has immunity from prosecution while in office, has refused to meet with prosecutors investigating the scandal.

Park, South Korea’s first female president, would be the country’s second leader to face an impeachment vote. In 2004, lawmakers impeached then President Roh Moo—hyun on allegations of incompetence and election law violations. But the impeachment led to a big public backlash, and the Constitutional Court reinstated Roh two months later. Roh left office in early 2008 after serving out his single five—year term. In 2009, he killed himself amid a high—profile corruption investigation of his family.

Park has publicly apologized over the scandal three times and acknowledged that she received help from Choi in editing her speeches and with unspecified “public relations” matters. But she denies involvement in Choi’s alleged criminal activities.

About 160 lawmakers affiliated with the two main opposition parties said Thursday that they would resign en masse if parliament does not approve Park’s impeachment, but that might be just symbolic because the parliamentary speaker won’t likely approve the resignations out of worries about further political chaos.

Park’s father, Park Chung—hee, ruled the country for 18 years until his 1979 assassination. Choi is a daughter of Choi Tae—min, a purported cult leader who served as a mentor for Park Geun—hye until his death in 1994. Park, whose mother was assassinated in 1974, described Choi Soon—sil as someone “who helped me when I had difficulties” in the past.

Park’s ties with Choi Tae—min, who was mired in corruption scandals, have long dogged her political career. Many here criticize her for maintaining ties with the Choi family and for what’s seen as a lack of transparency on the key decisions she has made.

Park, whose term is to end in early 2018, tried to fend off impeachment by saying she would stand down if parliament arranges a stable power transfer. Her liberal opponents called the overture a stalling tactic to buy time and find ways to survive the scandal. </s> PHILADELPHIA (CNN)–South Korea’s Constitutional Court has upheld a decision by the country’s National Assembly to impeach President Park Guen-hye.

The decision was unanimous, with all eight judges on the court voting to remove Park from office.

Park is the first South Korean President to be impeached. An election for her replacement must be held within 60 days.

The decision was announced by Justice Lee Jung-mi in a live, national broadcast.

Police issued the “Gabho” emergency order in Seoul ahead of Friday’s announcement, the highest level possible.

Officers are on standby for expected protests, with 270 units being mobilized — about 21,000 in total.

Park’s problems began in October, when revelations emerged about the influence Park’s confidante and adviser Choi Soon-sil had over the President.

Choi is currently on trial for abuse of power and fraud.

Local media and opposition parties have accused Choi of abusing her relationship with the president to force companies to donate millions of dollars to foundations she runs. She denies all charges against her.

Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans braved the brutally cold winter temperatures to take to the streets of Seoul and call for Park’s ouster.

In a brief televised apology however, Park made it clear that she had no intentions of resigning. In December, the National Assembly voted 234 to 56 to impeach her. </s> SEOUL — Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye — who was ousted from office earlier this month — was arrested on Friday.

“Major crimes have been ascertained and there is a concern that the suspect might attempt to destroy evidence,” Judge Kang Bu-young said in a text message to reporters.

“The court recognizes the need, necessity and reasonableness of the suspect’s arrest.”

Prosecutors announced Monday that they were seeking to arrest Park on charges relating to abuse of power, accepting bribes and leaking important information. Park had been held in a temporary detention facility at the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office Building ahead of the court’s decision.

Park will be taken to Seoul Detention Center, which is located just outside Seoul and where her confidant Choi Soon-sil and some of the high-profile figures embroiled in an ongoing scandal, including Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong, have been detained.

“The suspect abused the mighty power and position as president to take bribes from companies and infringed upon the freedom of corporate management and leaked important confidential official information,” the statement from the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office said.

Park has not yet been formally indicted, prosecutors told CNN, and it’s unclear when that will occur.

Park was removed from office on March 10, after South Korea’s Constitutional Court upheld a decision to impeach her for alleged corruption.

The former president was accused of helping a confidant raise donations from companies for foundations she had set up.

The scandal dominated the headlines in South Korea and prompted mass protests when it emerged late last year. The controversy centered around Park’s friend and close adviser, Choi Soon-sil, who is alleged to have significant and inappropriate influence over Park. Choi is currently on trial for abuse of power and fraud.

The Constitutional Court’s impeachment ruling stripped Park of her presidential immunity and cleared the way for prosecutors to seek her arrest.

A presidential election will be held on May 9 to choose a new leader. </s> South Korea’s Constitutional Court has upheld a decision by the country’s National Assembly to impeach President Park Geun-hye over alleged corruption.

The unprecedented decision was unanimous, with all eight judges on the court voting to remove Park, the country’s first female president, from office. South Koreans immediately took to the streets, with some groups protesting against the decision and others celebrating her removal from power.

The decision was revealed by Justice Lee Jung-mi Friday in a live broadcast that gripped the nation.

“We announce the decision as the unanimous opinion of all judges. We dismiss the defendant President Park,” said Lee.

Here are the main developments from the day:

South Korea’s first female president becomes the first to be ousted as a result of impeachment.

 Now stripped of her immunity, Park is liable to prosecution for the scandal that brought about her ouster.

 Pro- and anti-Park protests throng the streets of the capital.

 Park supporters have been cordoned off by police; they’re trying to reach the court which handed down the decision.

 Injuries have been reported as emotions run high in the protests.

South Korea’s political stability is crucial to the security of the region — it is a key buttress against North Korea, its provocative neighbor, and a major trading partner with the US and its Asian neighbors.

Park is the first South Korean president to be thrown out of office by the court. An election for her replacement must be held within 60 days, with Prime Minister and acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn to set the day. An adhoc Cabinet meeting will be held soon, a government official told CNN.

Park’s ouster means she loses the protection from prosecution she enjoyed as president. She could now face a formal investigation into her role in the corruption scandal which led to her impeachment.

During the announcement, anti-Park demonstrators were seen crying tears of joy and pumping fists in celebration, as applause rang out from the crowd.

Thousands of Park’s supporters waved South Korean flags as they stood on main thoroughfares near the Constitutional Court.

They were hemmed in by a ring of police officers, many wearing protective armor, and police vehicles.

A group of around 100 Park supporters tried to break through police lines near the court, and a number of people fell and were injured. Medical attention was provided at the scene.

Park’s supporters tried to reach the court, rocking the buses which blocked their way and attempting to climb over them.

Emotions were running extremely high in the pro-Park camp. One woman was heard by CNN screaming “democracy is dead, South Korea is dead.”

Hwang, who will remain in power until the election, has instructed all military personnel to be on alert and to increase security, the official said.

Police had issued the highest level of emergency order possible in Seoul ahead of the announcement.

About 21,000 officers are on standby for expected protests, with 270 units being mobilized.

The US, a key ally, responded to the decision by offering assurances that the two countries’ relationship would continue uninterrupted.

“We will continue to work with Prime Minister Hwang for the remainder of his tenure as acting President, and we look forward to a productive relationship with whomever the people of South Korea elect to be their next president,” acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

?”The United States continues to be a steadfast ally, friend, and partner to the ROK,” he said, using the acronym for South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

“The US-ROK alliance will continue to be a linchpin of regional stability and security, and we will continue to meet all our alliance commitments, especially with respect to defending against the threat from North Korea.”

Park’s problems began in October, when revelations emerged about the influence her confidante and adviser Choi Soon-sil had over the President.

In December, lawmakers voted to impeach Park by a vote of 234 to 56, stripping away her executive powers. Since then she has remained in the presidential Blue House, but has remained largely out of public view.

The court upheld the impeachment because she was judged to have abused her authority in helping Choi raise donations from companies.

Local media and opposition parties have accused Choi of abusing her relationship with the president to force companies to donate millions of dollars to foundations she runs.

In a televised apology, Park said Choi looked at “some documents” for a certain period of time after Park took office, but didn’t specify what they were.

“I am shocked and my heart is breaking for causing public concern,” Park said.

Though she never held an official position, revelations showed that Choi was also given advance access to presidential speeches and other documents.

Choi is currently on trial for abuse of power and fraud. She denies all charges against her.

Park’s final weeks in office were marred by huge demonstrations as hundreds of thousands of South Koreans braved the brutally cold winter temperatures to take to the streets of Seoul and call for her ouster.

Park is not the first South Korea president to have faced impeachment. In 2004, late President Roh Moo-hyun was forced out of office for two months. However, the Constitutional Court later restored Roh to power, rejecting charges of abuse of power and mismanagement. </s> SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye has offered to step down in April, leaders of her party said Tuesday after meeting with her. But the offer was unlikely to prevent an impeachment vote on Friday over a corruption scandal that has turned the vast majority of the public against her.

Park appeared to accept that a vote on impeachment is inevitable and said that she is bracing for it, Chung Jin-suk, the floor leader of Park's governing party, Saenuri, said in a statement Tuesday after meeting with the president for 55 minutes.

Chung said he told Park the party could not prevent the impeachment vote and that she nodded in response.

Park said last week that she was willing to resign before the end of her term but that she would leave it to the National Assembly to decide the terms, including the date of her departure. Critics saw that offer as an attempt to divide her opponents and stall the push for impeachment.

Members of Saenuri loyal to Park suggested that she resign in April, and it seemed possible that some lawmakers leaning toward impeachment would accept that as a compromise. But a huge rally against the president on Saturday, the latest in a series of enormous weekly demonstrations, appears to have bolstered pro-impeachment sentiment in the National Assembly.

It is uncertain what the outcome of an impeachment vote would be. But news outlets reported Tuesday that the pro-impeachment lawmakers were believed to have the 200 votes necessary to pass the bill in the 300-seat body.

"I have always thought I would accept" the suggestion to resign in April, Chung quoted Park as saying. Leaving office in April would cut Park's term short by 10 months.

According to Chung, Park said that if she were impeached, she would stay "calm and composed" during the next step in the process: waiting for the Constitutional Court to rule on whether her impeachment was warranted.

The court has up to six months to decide. During that period, Park's presidential powers would be suspended, and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn would step in as acting president. If the court were to rule against her impeachment, she would immediately return to office. If not, South Korea would hold an election in 60 days to select her successor.

Opposition lawmakers criticized Park on Tuesday for not resigning immediately. "She tries to hang on to the very last," said Youn Kwan-suk, a spokesman for the main opposition Democratic Party. "We will fulfill the people's will by impeaching her."

Some political analysts say an immediate departure by Park would give the opposition a better chance of winning the presidency, because the 60 days within which an election must be held would not give Saenuri much time to recover from the disgrace.

The government has been paralyzed for weeks over a corruption and influence-peddling scandal involving a longtime friend and confidante of Park, Choi Soon-sil. Choi has been indicted on a charge of extorting large sums from South Korean companies. Prosecutors have said that Park helped her and have identified her as a criminal suspect, a first for a president, though she cannot be indicted while in office.

Park would be the first South Korean president to face impeachment since 2004, when the National Assembly impeached Roh Moo-hyun, the president at the time, for violating election law. Two months later, the Constitutional Court ruled that Roh's offenses were too minor to justify impeachment and restored him to office.

But Park faces much more serious accusations. In an impeachment motion submitted to the National Assembly over the weekend, opposition parties accused Park of conspiring with Choi to force large South Korean businesses, including Hyundai and Samsung, to donate tens of millions of dollars to two foundations Choi controlled. They also accuse her of illegally sharing confidential government documents with Choi, who had no official post. Prosecutors have also accused Park of those offenses.
South Korea's Constitutional Court upholds the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, removing her from office. Hwang Kyo-ahn assumes powers as Acting President.