What’s Happening In South Korea? Everything To Know About President Park Geun-Hye Impeachment

A constitutional court in South Korea unanimously upheld the Parliament's decision to impeach President Park Geun-hye, making her the country’s first democratically elected leader to be ousted from office over a massive scandal that shook the East Asian nation over the past few months.

The confirmation of Park’s impeachment by the eight-judge panel of the country’s apex court means that Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn will remain as the acting president until a new leader emerges from the new elections, which have to be held within 60 days of the court’s decision.

Park, 65, has been accused of colluding with an aide who has been charged with bribery and corruption under the country’s largest political scandal in recent times. Here is all you need to know about what is happening in South Korea:

What is the scandal?

Choi Soon-Sil, a close aide and confidant of the president, was arrested over allegations that she pressurized big corporations into giving a combined 77.4 billion won ($65.5 million) to two nonprofits — the Mir and K-Sports foundations — that were controlled by her.

Read: 5 Facts About Controversy Surrounding Park Geun-Hye And Close Aide

Park was accused of allowing Choi, 60, to command an inordinate amount of influence on economic, foreign and defense policies adopted by the president during her time in office. Park, however, denied that her so-called spiritual adviser meddled in state affairs.

What was the public reaction?

While Park’s five-year term was supposed to end in February 2018, massive protests in South Korea led to demands for the president’s resignation. People were outraged over the allegations of Choi’s role in Park’s decision-making, with many referring to the president as a puppet in her adviser’s hands.

The public opinion about Park saw a sharp decline, with her approval rating falling to a dismal 4 percent.

What does the scandal mean for the country?

Park’s impeachment has led to a vacuum of leadership in the country at a time when neighbor and longtime adversary North Korea poses a potent threat with its nuclear tests.

The political scenario is not the only cause of worry. The scandal involving the president and Choi has also ensnared a number of high-profile figures, including Lee Jae-Yong, the heir apparent of South Korea’s largest family owned conglomerate, or “chaebols,” Samsung.

Read: Samsung’s Heir Apparent Arrested On Bribery Charges In South Korea Corruption Probe

Lee, 48, has been accused of paying almost $36 million in bribes to Choi, allegedly in return for political favors like the government’s support for a 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates that helped him gain control of the corporation from his father Lee Kun-hee, the ailing chairman of Samsung.

Who will be the next president of South Korea?

After the former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced last month that he will not run in the upcoming presidential elections, the focus is on Moon Jae-in, a veteran lawmaker from the opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Moon commanded a 32.8 percent approval rating, according to a survey released earlier this year.

Other contenders include software mogul and leader of a small opposition party, People’s Party, Ahn Cheol-soo; six-time legislator of ruling Saenuri Party, Rhee In-Je, who announced his fourth bid for presidency since 1997; outspoken liberal Lee Jae-myung, who likes to compare himself to U.S. politician Bernie Sanders; and Seoul’s Mayor Park Won-soon, a former human rights lawyer with some landmark cases under his belt.

What will happen to Park?

With the impeachment, Park has become the first president to be successfully impeached before the end of her term after democracy replaced dictatorship in the country in the 1980s. Park loses her presidential immunity and can be summoned, questioned and even arrested by authorities.