We're wrapping up our live page coverage for today. Thank you for staying with us as we covered a historic moment in South Korea's history.

You can read our news story here.

This page was edited by Tessa Wong, Yvette Tan and Joel Guinto in Singapore, with posts written by Fan Wang, Ewe Koh and Kelly Ng.

Jean Mackenzie, Shaimaa Khalil, Katy Watson and Simon Atkinson reported from Seoul, as did David Oh, Yuna Ku, Rachel Lee, Richard Kim and Hyojung Kim from BBC Korean.

Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent

When Mr Yoon tried to orchestrate a military takeover, claiming the country had been infiltrated by North Korean spies, he stunned the world.

For the past month, eight judges at the constitutional court have been deliberating his fate. Today they unanimously ruled that he’d abused his power and should be immediately removed from office.

This is the result most people here had been hoping for – though not Mr Yoon’s loyal supporters, who’ve become more agitated and extreme as this case has dragged on, latching onto far-right conspiracy theories.

The authorities are urging them to accept this ruling and stay calm.

Martial law only lasted six short hours, but it polarised the country. This verdict will bring some closure to South Korea. It can start to move forward – and elect a new leader.

But it won’t bring an end to the tension and division that Mr Yoon has unleashed here.

Image source, Getty Images

Yoon is the latest in a number of former South Korean leaders who have had their reputations marred or presidential terms interrupted by scandal. Here's the list:

South Korea's first president Syngman Rhee fled the country for Hawaii in 1960 - where he died in 1965 - after his re-election led to violent protests.

In 1979, Park Chung-hee, who came to power after a coup and oversaw an authoritarian turn in the country,was assassinated by his own spy chief and lifelong friend.

Military commander Chun Doo-hwan and his handpicked successor Roh Tae-woo were convicted in 1996 of corruption, as well as their roles in a coup and the Gwangju massacre.

Roh Moo-hyun, who won the presidential race in 2002 and left office in 2007, took his own life as corruption investigators closed in over allegations he accepted $6m in bribes.

Lee Myung-bak, who won the 2007 election, was jailed for bribery five years after he left office.

His successor Park Geun-hye - the daughter of Park Chung-hee -was impeached in 2016 and jailed after a corruption scandal.

Read the full breakdown of South Korea's scandal-hit former presidents.

Yoon's ruling People Power Party and the opposition Democratic Party will be "basically neck and neck" in the upcoming presidential race, Sung-Yoon Lee, Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, told BBC Newsday earlier.

After the court verdict today, which removes Yoon from office, a presidential election has to be held within the next 60 days.

While Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung enjoys a "comfortable lead", Lee said, "the swelling of support for Yoon's party" in recent months cannot be discounted.

"One cannot rule out that the candidate from Yoon's party may prevail," Lee said. "The drama goes on."

As a recap, here is our correspondent Shaimaa Khalil on the moment the verdict was announced - and how Yoon supporters, and anti-Yoon protesters, reacted.

Image source, Getty Images

Han Dong-hoon was driving home from dinner when he heard a breaking news update: President Yoon Suk-Yeol was preparing to deliver an emergency address.

Hours later, the president plunged the country into turmoil as he declared that he would be imposing martial law.

Thousands responded, with lawmakers rushing into the assembly building and clambering over fences and walls in a desperate attempt to block Yoon's order.

Han - then the leader of Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) and widely seen as one of the president's closest allies - was among them.

His decision to impeach the very president he'd helped get elected was a surprising heel turn for someone formerly viewed as Yoon's right-hand man, with some branding him a "traitor".

"I find the current situation extremely painful and regretful," he said. "Both the president and I worked in good faith for the betterment of our country – yet I must say that I deeply regret how things have turned out."

Read more of Han's account here.

Image source, Reuters

Separate to the impeachment, Yoon has been on criminal trial over allegations that he led an insurrection with the botched martial law attempt. The charges handed to him on January made him the first sitting president in South Korean history to be charged with a crime.

Travel bans also have been imposed on Yoon and several senior officials since December and some of the commanders and senior officials who dispatched troops under martial law were jailed.

Yoon was arrested in January - in a second attempt by authorities to take him into custody - and detained for over a month. He was released on 8 March after a court in Seoul overturned his arrest on technical grounds.

Hyojung Kim
BBC Korean

After Yoon was impeached, a new social media trend called the "Impeachment Meal" began. Hashtags like "Dismissal Special", "Impeachment Special", and "Celebration Noodles" have also become popular.

Many are celebrating the impeachment by eating noodle dishes or other tasty meals and posting pictures online, external.

The dishes often include "pa" (green onions) and "myeon" (noodles), external - the word "pamyeon" sounds like impeachment or removal in Korean. Noodles are also traditionally eaten in Korea for celebrations.

As of this afternoon, more than 28,000 posts with the hashtag "Dismissal Special" have popped up on X.

Image source, AFP

Before his martial law order, Yoon had already found himself in a political quagmire, plagued with personal scandals and mounting pressure from the opposition.

A relative newcomer to politics when he won the presidency in 2022, Yoon had risen to national prominence for prosecuting the corruption case against former leader Park Geun-hye in 2016.

At a time when South Korea was grappling with widening divisions over gender issues, Yoon appealed to young male voters by running on an anti-feminism platform.

He also championed a hawkish stance on North Korea. In trying to impose martial law, he said it was to protect his countrymen against North Korean forces and “eliminate anti-state elements”, but it later became clear that the declaration had more to do with his domestic woes.

Much of the scandal surrounding Yoon's presidencycentred around his wife Kim Keon Hee, who was accused of corruption and influence peddling, most notably allegedly accepting a Dior bag from a pastor.

Yoon was relegated to a lame duck president after the opposition Democratic Party won the parliamentary election by a landslide in April 2023. The result was widely seen as a vote of no confidence on his time in office.

Read more about Yoon in our profile piece here.

Rachel Lee
BBC Korean

In the lead-up to the verdict, thousands of protesters have staged rallies in central Seoul calling for either Yoon to go or to stay.

Choi Seung-yeol, who runs a French fries shop near the Constitutional Court, says his sales have dropped by nearly half compared to a few months ago, before protests erupted in the area.

"This place used to be lively, with young couples on dates and foreign tourists dressed in hanbok [traditional Korean clothing] taking pictures. But now, with road restrictions in place, there aren’t many people hanging around here anymore."

Baek Seung-hoon, who owns a restaurant in the area, faces the same struggle. His store used to be one of the most popular spots for lunch-goers in the area, but only few people were seen on the day our team visited ahead of the ruling.

"It’s even worse in the evenings," Baek says. "More protesters arrive after 6 pm as workers get off from their jobs. This has been going on for almost two months now."

Baek’s calendar is now filled with red marks - his way of tracking booking cancellations. Many customers have called to cancel, saying they’re too afraid to visit the area.

"This isn’t the first time," Baek sighs. "I was here when former presidents were impeached. When Park Geun-hye was removed from office, I had no customers at all. I’m preparing for the worst again."

Richard Kim
BBC Korean

South Korea’s political landscape has shifted dramatically following the Constitutional Court’s decision to dismiss former President Yoon Suk-yeol from office, setting the stage for a snap presidential election.

Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, is currently the frontrunner among presidential hopefuls.

Within the ruling People Power Party (PPP), a fierce primary race is expected, featuring key figures such as Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, and former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon.

Among them, Kim is currently enjoying relatively strong support. However, Lee Jae-myung’s approval rating is roughly three times higher.

Han Dong-hoon, once a political ally of former President Yoon, has stated he is determined to stop what he describes as Lee’s “one-man dominance.”

While it remains unclear who else from the PPP might enter the race, most analysts agree that with less than two months until the election, time is running out for any conservative candidate to overtake Lee Jae-myung in the polls.

Outside of the PPP, Lee Jun-seok, a 40-year-old lawmaker from the Reform Party, has also attracted attention. In a December interview with BBC Korean, Lee announced his candidacy, pledging to bring about “a complete generational shift.”

All senior aides of the presidential office, including Yoon's chief of staff, have offered to resign, according to his office.

Celebrations are underway among the anti-Yoon camp, which has migrated to Gwanghwamun, Seoul's main rally site.

Tents have been set up to host the crowd. We're also hearing that a candelight rally will be held tonight.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Acting President Han Duck-soo has just spoken to reporters in a news briefing.

"I solemnly acknowledge the grave and unfortunate situation in which a sitting head of state has been impeached for only the second time in our constitutional history," he said.

“In support of the will of the sovereign people, we will do our best to manage the next presidential election so that the next government can be launched without disruption in accordance with the Constitution and laws.”

Now that Yoon's impeachment has been upheld, and has been immediately removed from office, the race to pick the next president has begun.

The Election Commission has just said that potential candidates for the upcoming general election can start registering today.

Just a reminder: South Korea has 60 days to hold a snap presidential election.

David Oh
BBC Korean

Just a couple of hours ago the road outside Yoon's residence was packed with Yoon supporters protesting the court verdict.

But they've wrapped up their rally rather quickly. There are still a few small groups of supporters lingering, but this is what the site looks like now:

Image source, David Oh/BBC

Image source, David Oh/BBC

Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent

Image source, BBC/Hosu Lee

I was on the streets with hundreds of thousands of protesters as parliament voted to oust President Yoon four months ago. People erupted in joy. The country was mostly united in its rejection of their president.

But today, the picture is different. Although the majority of people were still hoping for this verdict, more than a third wanted Mr Yoon to return as president, and they are angry and disappointed.

So why the shift?

When Yoon declared martial law, he played on people’s fears of North Korea. He claimed that the country and his political opposition had been infiltrated by North Korean and Chinese spies, and that these “anti-state forces” had rigged past elections.

He then continued to dangle these unsubstituted conspiracies, which have traditionally been pedalled by the far right.

Gradually, more and more people believed him. “Why would the president lie?” is a question his supporters now often ask me when I speak to them. They see him as a martyr; the victim of an establishment that has been overrun by “communists”.

Thousands protest every week in the centre of Seoul. They were on the streets today, and will be there again tomorrow, claiming the country’s politicians, judges and electoral commission are all corrupt.

Read more here.

Yuna Ku and David Oh
BBC Korean Service

Image source, David Oh/BBC

A rally that was planned by Yoon supporters at the presidential residence today has been cancelled.

We saw the mood at the pro-Yoon rally plummet after the verdict, with many supporters bursting into tears and anger.

The crowd began to disperse as many supporters packed up and left. But some have remained, like Won Bog-sil.

The 64-year-old says she came all the way from Jeju island to participate in the rally.

Image source, Yuna Ku/BBC

“I came here with hope in my heart, believing we would win. I was sure we would win," she says.

“What did President Yoon Suk Yeol do wrong?… President Yoon Suk Yeol loves and protects this country. The people know the Constitutional Court’s ruling today isn’t the truth.

"Mr President, please stay strong and protect Korea. It’s so unfair. So unfair.”

Image source, David Oh/BBC

Another pro-Yoon demonstrator said he was angry about today's court ruling; however, he said he would respect the decision.

"Today, South Korea's liberal democracy has finally been sentenced to death," he said.

"I am very angry, but I must acknowledge this situation. I don't want any violence. It is so unfair that I can only accept this situation with tears, but I have no other choice."

Katy Watson and Simon Atkinson

Image source, Simon Atkinson/BBC

Seohyun Han, 62, from Seongnam city, is handing out free hot drinks in one of the tents at Ganghwamun, where anti-Yoon protesters have gathered to celebrate his removal from office.

She's decked out in merchandise of the man she wants to be president next: Lee Jae-Myung, the leader of the main opposition party, Democratic Party.

“When a new president is elected, then there will be a new Korea," she says.

But despite her smiles today, she says she is still "very anxious" for the country's situation after months of political turmoil that has affected South Korea's economy.

"It’s a relief Yoon has been impeached but I’m still worried."

David Oh
BBC Korean

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

The roads in front of the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, remain closed off, with police stopping anyone attempting to film in the area.

We've been stationed here all day, but there's still no sign of movement from the residence.

President Yoon is now required to vacate his office and the presidential residence, following the Constitutional Court's decision this morning.

However, the exact timing of his departure remains unclear.

There are no strict rules governing when a president must leave the residence, known as Cheong Wa Dae in Korean.

Former President Park Geun-hye, for instance, stayed at Cheong Wa Dae for two days after her impeachment was upheld in 2017.

Yoon may also take a day or more to prepare. He is expected to return to his private home in Seocho-dong in southern Seoul, though reports suggest that little preparation has been made so far.