Seoul — The rival crowds gathered outside South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Friday for the verdict on impeached president Park Geun-Hye epitomised the opposing passions and generational splits over the country’s sweeping political scandal. The court removed President Park Geun-hye from office on Friday over a graft scandal involving South Korea’s conglomerates at a time of rising tensions with North Korea and China. Park becomes South Korea’s first democratically elected leader to be forced from office, capping months of paralysis and turmoil as hundreds of thousands crammed the streets to protest a corruption scandal that has also landed the head of the Samsung conglomerate in a jail cell. A presidential election will be held in 60 days, according to the constitution. 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 press, she had concealed the truth and cracked d...

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