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Two dead, six injured in protests against ruling

This article is more than 12 months old

SEOUL: The rival crowds outside South Korea's constitutional court yesterday for the verdict on impeached president Park Geun Hye, 65, epitomised the opposing passions and generational splits over the country's sweeping political scandal.

Around 3,000 anti-Park demonstrators, mostly in their 20s to 40s, erupted with joy as the verdict was read out in a live television broadcast.

"We won," they chanted.

Student Lim Na Kyung said: "The impeachment of the president is truly a day that will go down in history.

"My heart is full of emotion and I am very happy."

But some of Park's supporters, mostly older conservatives with fond memories of the rule of her late father, dictator Park Chung Hee, were not so happy, AFP reported.

The ruling sparked violent protests from her supporters, two of whom were killed in clashes with police outside court, Reuters reported.

Many tried to break through police barricades at the courthouse.

Police said one 72-year-old man was taken to hospital with a head injury and died. The circumstances of the second death are being investigated.

Six people were injured, protest organisers said.

The South is Asia's fourth-largest economy but growth is slowing and many complain of a lack of opportunity in a country dominated by large companies with close ties to the political establishment. - WIRES

South KoreapresidentCOURT & CRIME