South Korea's Constitutional Court has confirmed the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. The decision removes that country's top ruler at a time of growing tension, not only with its worrisome neighbor to the north but also with China. South Korea must now prepare for a snap election, and that campaign will prove all consuming. Some governments will be tempted to meddle in the process. Tokyo must be prepared to suffer in silence even as its relationship with Seoul becomes a football in the campaign.
Park was charged with sharing national secrets with her confidant Choi Soon-sil and colluding with her to extort millions of dollars from the country's leading companies. While Park apologized for lapses in judgment, she denied any wrongdoing, an attitude that infuriated critics. Her refusal to submit to questioning and to give prosecutors access to the Blue House compounded the image of someone with something to hide.
The Constitutional Court deliberated for three months before declaring last week that the impeachment resolution passed by Parliament was valid. The court's ruling marked the first time that a South Korean leader has been removed from office; former President Roh Moo-hyun was impeached in 2004, but the court overturned that vote.