Who is Park Geun-hye? South Korean President ousted from office following corruption scandal – all you need to know
SOUTH Korean President Park Geun-Hye has become the country's first democratically-elected leader to be forced from office after a corruption scandal led to her being impeached.
The country's first female leader is accused of letting a personal friend, who is being investigated for corruption, meddle in state affairs.
Park could now face criminal charges over the scandal after losing her presidential immunity.
Here's what we know about Park's political career and the damning allegations which have brought it to an end.
Who is Park Geun-hye?
Park Geun-hye is the daughter of the controversial former South Korean president Park Chung-hee, who was assassinated five years after her mother was murdered by a North Korean gunman in 1974.
The 64-year-old served as first lady from the age of 22 - an experience she said helped her secure the vote when she ran for president - until her father's death in 1979.
She obtained a degree in electronic engineering from Sogang University in 1974 and as well as her native Korean, she also speaks Chinese, English, French and Spanish.
Prior to her presidency she was the chairwoman of the conservative Grand National Party (GNP) between 2004 and 2006 and again in 2011 for a year.
She ran for president for the first time in 2007 but narrowly lost to Lee Myung-bak.
President Park eventually took office in 2013, promising to improve "economic prosperity, people's happiness, and cultural enrichment".
She also expressed hope that North Korea would give up its nuclear arms and strive for unification with the Korean people.
President Park, who has never married, was regarded as something of a trailblazer when she was initially elected, and was ranked 11th on the Forbes list of the world's 100 most powerful women.
But her name was brought into disrepute after she became embroiled in a deepening corruption scandal surrounding her close confidante, Choi Soon-sil.
What are the allegations against President Park?
President Park is accused of letting a personal friend meddle in state affairs, triggering her approval rating to plummet to an all-time low of just 5 per cent.
Choi Soon-sil and two presidential aides face charges of fraud, coercion and abuse of power over allegations she used her connections to President Park to squeeze money out of businesses.
She allegedly put pressure on firms to donate to not-for-profit organisations, whose funds she then skimmed for personal use.
Park has been accused of helping Choi in this process by ordering the aides to pass on dozens of sensitive documents to her without security clearance.
Parliament voted to impeach Park in December and the Constitutional Court has since been deciding whether to uphold this.
On Friday March 10, a panel of eight judges ruled Park's actions "seriously impaired the spirit of... democracy and the rule of law".
The court said she broke the law by allowing Choi to meddle in state affairs, and breached guidelines on official secrets by leaking numerous documents.
Who is Choi Soon-sil?
Choi is a daughter of a religious figure who was a friend to Park's father Park Chung-hee, a military strongman who ruled South Korean for 18 years until he was assassinated in 1974.
Prosecutors say over 50 companies including giants Samsung and Hyundai paid £53million into organisations controlled by Choi.
They paid the money out of fear of political reprisals such as tax hikes or punitive increases in red tape, investigators said.
What happens next for Park and South Korea?
Criminal charges cannot be brought against a sitting President in South Korea, however now Park has been ousted she could face criminal charges.
She has made two public apologies but denies committing any sort of crime.
Park was already suspended from presidential duties, with the prime minister taking over her responsibilities.
But she must now leave office - and her official residence - and a presidential election will be called within the next 60 days.
While the decision has delighted many South Koreans, pro-Park protesters took to the streets as the decision was announced, and two people - believed to be Park supporters - died in the chaos.
The scandal has led to many demonstrations, the most prominent of which being in the capital Seoul.
As many as half a million people were thought to have taken to the streets demanding Park leave office.
