South Korean court throws President Park out of office

Seoul

SOUTH Korea's Constitutional 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.

Ms 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 Ms Park had violated the constitution and law "thro…