South Korean parliament impeaches President Park Geun-hye in historic vote

Seoul, South Korea: South Korean parliament has passed an impeachment vote on Friday against President Park Geun-hye.

Hundreds of protesters had massed in front of the National Assembly building when lawmakers recorded their anonymous votes and then put their folded ballots in boxes.

"Can you hear the roar of the people in front of the National Assembly? We need to overcome the old establishment and create a new Republic of Korea by passing (the impeachment bill)," Kim Kwan-young, an opposition lawmaker had said ahead of the vote. Republic of Korea is South Korea's formal name. "Our great people have already opened the way. Let's make it so we can stand honorably in front of history and our descendants."

Just ahead of the vote, opposition members of parliament sat on the floor and chanted "Impeach" with raised fists. They are confident that they'll get what they want Friday, the last day of the current parliamentary session, because dozens of members of Park's ruling party have said they'll vote against the woman who was once their standard bearer.

Some of the protesters at the National Assembly had spent the night on the streets after traveling from other cities so they could urge impeachment.

Park, South Korea's first female president, is the country's second leader to face an impeachment vote. In 2004, lawmakers impeached then President Roh Moo-hyun on allegations of incompetence and election law violations. But the impeachment led to a big public backlash, and the Constitutional Court reinstated Roh two months later. Roh left office in early 2008 after serving out his single five-year term. In 2009, he killed himself amid a high-profile corruption investigation of his family.