On March 10, 2017, South Korea saw the first impeachment in their 30-year democracy.

Park Geun-hye, once seen as the face of the conservative establishment and daughter of assassinated dictator Park Chung-hee, has been formally removed from office by a unanimous Constitutional Court ruling. She had been suspended in December, while Hwang Kyo-ahn has been acting president during such time. By South Korean law, a new president is to be elected within the next 60 days.

Park Geun-hye was accused of corruption within her government a few months ago. Her childhood friend, Choi Soon-sil, was given remarkable influence on her, even more so than her ministers. Besides her connections to the president, Choi is not a politician in the South Korean government. Choi was given power to extort and take bribes ranging to millions of dollars from companies. Most notably of these was Samsung, whose CEO, Jay Y. Lee has been arrested because of his involvement in the scandal. Choi even advised Park on the appointing of ministers and government officials. This has caused uproar for many in South Korea. For months now in Seoul, there have been protests from the streets. While most wanted her to be impeached from office, some wanted her to remain in the Blue House. On the night of her impeachment, two pro-Park protesters were killed, according to South Korean police.

The future of South Korea remains unknown. Now that Park has been removed from office, she is no longer protected by the office. It is now possible for her to be formally charged and even face jail time. An entire generation of South Koreans feel empowered by upsetting the once all-powerful conservative elite. Recent polls shows most want a more leftist government. Some Americans are concerned for the possible repercussions of this scandal. Park had a hard-line policy against North Korea, however the next president may not be so inclined. The White House has sent some military support to South Korea during the past few months because of their political vulnerability.