South Korea's Constitutional Court began its deliberations on Thursday on whether to approve parliament's vote to impeach President Park Geun-hye. If the impeachment is approved, she would become the first elected South Korean leader to be thrown out of office.

Neither Park nor her confidante Choi Soon-sil appeared in court on Thursday when judges decided to admit prosecutors' investigation documents. Park has been stripped of her powers, but she retains her title and her official residence. The court said it would hold the next preparatory hearing on December 27th. Park was impeached in a parliamentary vote in early December after being accused of abuse of power.