Story highlights
Court ruling will be televised live
Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans had taken to the streets
[Breaking news update, posted at 9:40 p.m. ET]
South Korea’s Constitutional Court has upheld a decision by the country’s National Assembly to impeach President Park Guen-hye.
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. For further updates please click here.
[Previous story, posted at 8:57 p.m. ET]
South Korea’s Constitutional Court will rule on President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment Friday.
The country’s parliament impeached Park in December, and she was stripped of her presidential powers pending the court’s judgment.
The ruling is expected to be televised live and takes place 11 a.m. (9 p.m. ET).
If the decision to impeach her is upheld, an election for her replacement must be held within 60 days.
Police issued the “Gabho” emergency order in Seoul ahead of Friday’s announcement, the highest level possible.
All of the city’s police officers are on standby for expected protests, with 270 units being mobilized – about 21,000 policemen in total.
In downtown Seoul, dozens of police buses line the major Sejong-ro boulevard. Stacks of riot shields are piled outside of the vehicles.
“We will dispatch enough police forces to the presidential office… the Constitutional Court and the National Assembly,” Lee Cheol-seong, chief of the National Police Agency, said during a video conference with senior officials.
“Those who try to hamper the court’s ruling or use violence to disobey the decision should be dealt with strictly.”
Chaos in South Korean politics
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 on trial for meddling in state affairs and extorting money.
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. The National Assembly voted soon after 234 to 56 to impeach her.