For hours, the atmosphere in the streets surrounding South Korea’s Constitutional Court in downtown Seoul had been tense. Scores had camped out overnight in the early spring chill in the lead-up to the court’s historic 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 the outcome that would determine Mr. Yoon’s fate — and that of the country. Some people 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.
“This is the day I’ve been waiting for over the past four months of protesting,” he said.
Supporters of Mr. Yoon near the court, who were predominantly older men, said in the lead-up to the decision that they would be deeply disappointed if the president was removed.
“There is no definite reason for impeachment, there isn’t any solid evidence,” said Yeun Byong-don, 68, who was holding the national flag of South Korea, as well as the U.S. one, which is usually associated with conservatives in the country.
“The situation in the country seems to be going downhill,” said Mr. Yeun. “It feels like it might turn into communism.”
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.