For hours, the atmosphere in the streets surrounding South Korea’s Constitutional Court in downtown Seoul had been tense. Dozens had camped out overnight in the early spring chill in the lead-up to the court’s historical decision on Friday.
The crowds for and against the dismissal of the country’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, were separated by police buses and metal barriers up to 13 feet in height.
As the acting chief justice began reading out the decision, filled with technical legal jargon, the crowds grew quieter, straining to hear from outdoor loudspeakers the outcome that would determine Mr. Yoon’s fate — and that of the country. Some people opposed to Mr. Yoon cheered and applauded intermittently as the reading went on. Protesters on both sides clasped their hands together in prayer. Many held up their phones to record the moment.
And then, the crowd erupted.
Those supporting Mr. Yoon’s impeachment reacted with hugs, screams and fists pumped in the air to the unanimous decision to remove him from office. At a rally of supporters of Mr. Yoon near his residence, there was loud booing. Some people folded over in dismay, and others loudly cursed.
“It’s been so hard, but now my heart is relieved,” said Kim Ji-seon, 55, who brought her daughter to witness the verdict in the hopes that Mr. Yoon’s impeachment would be upheld. “I hope they can create a country where people can be happy.”
Soon after the decision was announced, only a handful of people, some wearing “Make Korea great again” and “stop the steal” hats, were left at a pro-Yoon demonstration that was scheduled to last all day outside the presidential office. Construction workers were taking down scaffolding, and dozens of chairs had been stacked and pushed to the side.
Jang Jaeeuk, 21, said he had stayed out on the street near the court overnight along with other students from his university, getting only three hours of sleep, because it was such an important day for his country.
“I’m happy that the hardships of the past four months haven’t gone to waste,” he said after crying and hugging his fellow students upon hearing the verdict. “Now I feel that we can change the world and, in that sense, I’m hopeful for the future.”
Supporters of Mr. Yoon near the court, who were predominantly men, said that they were deeply disappointed that the president was removed and went home.
Yoon Seo-jun, 18, sitting on the edge of a sidewalk, said he was distrustful of the system that led to the impeachment and dismayed about the future of the country.
“South Korea’s democracy is dead,” he said, adding that he hoped the National Assembly, which had impeached Mr. Yoon, would be dissolved.
After the decision, some South Koreans expressed apprehension about what might come next and the possibility of further political upheaval.
Lee Yongseok, 27, who watched the court’s televised decision at a screen at Seoul’s main railway station, said that although he supported the verdict, he knew that others would be skeptical of the ruling and of the judges who made it.
“I feel like something big is going to come to my country,” he said.
Even as supporters and opponents of Mr. Yoon tried to grasp what comes next for their country, government officials were taking steps to move on.
In a gesture that underlined the finality of the court’s ruling, the officials removed the presidential emblem in front of the building where Mr. Yoon used to work as president. The emblem bears the image of a mythical bird, the phoenix.
Choe Sang-Hun, Chang W. Lee, Jun Michael Park and Victoria Kim contributed reporting.
