Tens of thousands of South Koreans, including religious leaders, staged protests in the rain in central Seoul Saturday, opposing the resumption of U.S. beef imports.

Police estimated that 50,000 people gathered at Seoul City Hall plaza for the peaceful candlelight vigil but organizers put the number at 500,000, the largest in recent weeks.

Catholic priests and nuns, Protestant pastors and Buddhist monks sat together on the wet pavement along with citizens, unionized workers and opposition politicians, shouting slogans and demanding a renegotiation of the "flawed" beef deal.

"Trampling on and firing water cannons at the protesting people over the past two months, the government showed that it has no commitment to peace," Park Won-seok, one of the key organizers, was quoted as telling the crowd by Yonhap News. "It is awful that this government will be in for five years. This is the last chance … Renegotiate!"

Anti-government protests have been held almost daily since early May following an April deal under which South Korea lifted almost all import restrictions on U.S. beef.

The government has already said "no" to the protesters' demand, saying that the public health concerns raised have mostly been addressed through "additional" negotiations without changing the
contents of the original accord.

Government officials have made it clear that the beef deal, put into effect on June 26, is irreversible.

Meanwhile, about 300 government supporters also held a rally nearby in support of the beef deal.