South Korean court dismisses president Park Geun-Hye

Not all were as pleased with the outcome, however, and some pro-Park protesters turned on police vans outside court.

An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency says seven officers are also being treated for mostly minor injuries.

Park was also accused, during the reading of the Constitutional Court’s verdict, of having covered up Choi’s involvement in state affairs and denied allegations regarding Choi and criticized those who raised such allegations.

Never miss a story again – sign up to our Telegram channel and we’ll keep you up to speed! Park Chung-hee’s daughter was the first female president of South Korea. She is stripped of powers while awaiting a court decision on the vote.

It marks the first time a South Korean president has been driven from office before the end of their term since democracy replaced dictatorship in the late 1980s.

10 March: Constitutional Court upholds Parliament’s vote to impeach Ms Park, removing her from office.

This morning hundreds of Park’s supporters tried to break through police barricades outside the court.

Her aides and observers said Park might need some time to cope with the sudden deprivation of the presidential prerogatives, an impending prosecutorial probe and trenchant public criticism.

Will Park Geun-hye’s exit reshape South Korea’s relationship with China and North Korea?

But Park has avoided a direct investigation thanks to a law that gives a sitting president immunity from prosecution for most of alleged crimes. But the chaebols, which fuelled Korea’s development under Ms Park’s dictator father, have also amassed far too much power and are holding their country back. But that may no longer be an option once she leaves the Blue House.

Participants attend a rally in front of Cheong Wa Dae to celebrate the ouster of President Park Geun-hye on Saturday. According to opinion surveys, Liberal Moon Jae-in, who lost to Park in the 2012 election, now enjoys a comfortable lead for the presidential position.

Special prosecutors said they had found evidence that she colluded with her friend Choi Soon Sil to pressure top business executives to donate millions to foundations run by Choi in return for government favours. The reason judges made what should have been a decision by lawmakers was because no agreement could be reached on whether the president should stand down, even though opinion polls indicated 70 per cent of citizens wanted her out.