Protesters stage nonstop anti-president rally

Protesters hold signs that read “Park Geun-hye resign” during an anti-president rally at Cheonggye Plaza in Seoul, Saturday evening. An anti-Park protest will be staged every 7 p.m. at the venue from Tuesday until Nov. 12. / Yonhap

By Hong Dam-young

A protest calling for President Park Geun-hye’s resignation will be staged daily in downtown Seoul from Tuesday. The nonstop rally will continue through Nov. 12.

Organizers, mostly progressive civic groups, said the candlelight vigil-style protest will begin at Cheonggye Plaza from 7 p.m. They said a large-scale protest is planned on Nov. 5 and Nov. 12, which will call for Park’s resignation and a thorough investigation of the Choi Soon-sil scandal.

On top of this, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the biggest umbrella unions here, said it will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss its own demand for Park’s resignation.

Police are studying ways to control the rallies.

“We will do our best to peacefully control the rallies while guaranteeing people’s freedom of assembly,” a Korea National Police Agency official said.