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By Park Si-soo
People who joined the 10th mass rally against the President in central Seoul on the last day of 2016 had a common wish: more transparency in politics and society.
"The (Park Geun-hye) scandal reflects a lack of transparency in our political system and ineptitude of social forces that are supposed to keep the establishment in check," said Park Hyung-tae, 75, who joined the rally with his wife and two adult sons. "What I expect next year is more transparency in politics and a restored checks-and-balances system."
Kim Yoo-jin, 29, voiced a similar opinion.
"I turn 30 next year and my last year of my 20s has even totally ruined by the scandal. I don't want to see this happen again in my 30s," she said. "Our society and politics need to be more transparent. But this is not something that can be done only by the efforts of some. It needs the concerted efforts of all people and, though belatedly, we need to think about how to make this real."
An estimated 900,000 people joined the 10th rally, reaching the "10 million people" mark in the accumulated number of participants in the 10 weekend mass rallies against the President. More than 9 million people have joined nationwide anti-president rallies since the first flare-up of the protests on Oct. 29, according to a spokesman for the rally organizers.
The 10th rally, which started at 6 p.m., continued into the New Year past midnight.
A public action group calling for the president to step down hosted its tenth protest at Gwanghwamun Plaza beginning at 7 p.m., which included performances. The protesters marched toward the presidential office, the Constitutional Court and the prime minister's residence after which they headed toward the Bosingak Pavilion for the New Year bell-ringing ceremony.
Meanwhile, people loyal to impeached President Park Geun-hye staged a rally in front of the Daehanmun Gate of Deoksu Palace from 2 p.m., calling on the Constitutional Court to make a ruling in favor of the President.
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Bell-ringing ceremony to celebrate New Year
The annual bell-ringing ceremony was held at the Bosingak Bell pavilion in downtown Seoul at midnight to ring in the New Year.
Seoul City has picked eleven citizens to toll the bell at midnight, including Kil Won-ok, an 89-year-old victim of Japan's wartime sexual slavery. Others selected include female archer Chang Hye-jin, who won two gold medals at the Rio Olympics, and Jeon Myeong-seon, a representative for the families of the victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking.
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon took part in the event.
When the clock strikes midnight, the bell was rung 33 times. The practice dates back to the Joseon Dynasty, during which authorities would ring the bell 33 times every morning to signal the start of the day's work activities.
The city has extended the operations of the subway and bus systems by two hours to allow more spectators to attend the ceremony.
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