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| About 200,000 protesters gathered at Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday to demonstrate against President Park Geun-hye, echoing her resignation. / Yonhap |
200,000 protestors call for Park's resignation
By Choi Ha-young
President Park Geun-hye is facing mounting public calls to resign as more and more people vent their outrage and frustration over the sprawling influence-peddling and corruption scandal involving her confidant.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to participate in a mass anti-government rally in Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, Saturday, holding banners and shouting slogans such as "Park Out" and "The Park regime should step down."
The rally came a day after Park made her second televised apology for the scandal in which her longtime fried Choi Soon-sil allegedly meddled in state affairs and profited from her ties with the President. It was second of its kind after the previous demonstration a week ago.
Rally organizers estimated the number of protesters at around 200,000, the largest turnout in more than a year, although police put the number at about 50,000.
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| A group of middle and high school students march through Gwanghamun Plaza on Saturday, chanting "Resign Park Geun-hye." / Yonhap |
The demonstrators urged the President to take all the responsibility for the scandal and step down, believing her apology wasn't enough.
They denounced the President for allegedly allowing Choi to interfere in government policy and use her shadowy connections with the head of state to coerce conglomerates into donating 80 billion won ($70 million) to Mir and K-Sports foundations Choi controlled.
The number of protesters soared as the rally was merged with the funeral for late farmer activist Baek Nam-ki earlier in the day, who died September after ten months of coma after being knocked down by water from a police water cannon during a mass rally in Seoul last November.
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| More than 200,000 protesters gathered at Gwanghwamun Sqaure for a candlelight vigil. / Yonhap |
People from all walks of life including middle and high school students, many with families and friends, came to the rally.
The number of protesters didn't decrease until 9 p.m. when the organizer declared the end of the peaceful rally. Citizens, however, kept arriving, some staying until after 11 p.m. In the area between Gwanghwamun and City Hall, thousands shared speeches.
While there were minor clashes between conservative group members and rally participants, no violence occurred between participants and the police.
"I didn't come last week, but watching the news, I decided to come here to demonstrate our firm will against Park," said office worker Im Yong-ki, 39, who came with his wife and baby in a stroller.
"Park's apology failed to appropriately address the people's questions about the Choi scandal but was full of excuses," he said, adding that his family will return next week again from Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.
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| Protesters pack Gwanghwamun Square, downtown Seoul, during a candlelit rally demanding President Park Geun-hye's resignation over the influence-peddling scandal involving her close confidant Choi Soon-sil, Saturday. / Yonhap |
Like the Oct. 29 rally, older people joined hands.
"Older people's fury has worsened after Park's speech on Friday," said Ahn Tae-jeong, 79, from Yeouido in Seoul.
This time, foreign residents were there as well.
"I am proud of the Korean people for fighting for the right for democracy," said Jennifer Conrod, 33, an English teacher from Canada. Based on her understanding about this political crisis, she agreed on resignation, saying, "Park is not above the law."
After the demonstration from 4 p.m. at Gwanghwamun Square, people spread to Jongno, Euljiro, Myeong-dong and Sungnyemun. Besides the slogan of resignation, people also called for truth about Park's absence for seven hours after the Sewol ferry disaster.
"Safe society, seven missing hours, imprison Park," people chanted, walking with Sewol ferry victims along the Cheonggye Stream.
"I know my son can't come back even if Park steps down," said Kwon Mi-hwa, 42, the mother of one victim. With the student ID of her son, Oh Young-seok, hanging from her neck, she expressed her gratitude for the public support. "Park should have explained about her absence. I was surprised to hear Park denied shamanistic rituals on the day. Is she kidding?"
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| Protesters chant anti-president slogans with placards that read "Park Geun-hye must step down." / Yonhap |
For youth, the disaster was another reason for Park's resignation. "It's my second participation in protest, after the one for Sewol ferry disaster in 2014," said a high school student surnamed Seo, 17, from Eunpyeong-gu. Asked about the meaning of the tragedy in her life, she burst into tears, showing deep trauma felt among her peer group.
This unprecedented influence-meddling scandal gave Koreans a chance to reflect on their attitudes to politics.
"I was not that interested in politics," said Lee Yong-seok, 26, office worker. "I learned that chaebol and elites have taken full control of this society. Park's resignation is the first step to root out the corruptions," he said.
This scandal has raised frustration particularly among the generation who led democratization of Korea in the 1980s and 90s. "I entered university in 1989 and walked this street for democratization," said Jeong Cheol-hoon, 48, who came with his son from Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. "It's very sad to see my 13-year-old son walking this street again."
Protests were also held in big cities around the country. Demonstrators called for the resignation of Park in Daegu, her power base.
More than 5,000 people poured out into streets in the southeastern port city of Busan. Over 3,000 rallied in the souther city of Gwanju and about 700 gathered in the southeastern city of Ulsan.
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