Massive rally against justice minister, President rocks Seoul

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Tue, September 26, 2023 | 12:03

Politics

Massive rally against justice minister, President rocks Seoul

Posted : 2019-10-03 16:39

Updated : 2019-10-04 10:05

Protesters wave Korean and U.S. flags at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Thursday, during a massive rally organized by conservative groups to condemn the Moon Jae-in administration and call for Justice Minister Cho Kuk's resignation. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Conservative groups mobilize elders against Moon administration

By Lee Suh-yoon

Hundreds of thousands of mostly elderly citizens gathered in Gwanghwamun Square and streets near City Hall and Seoul Station, Thursday, to vent their discontent at the Moon Jae-in administration, calling on Justice Minister Cho Kuk to resign over corruption allegations leveled against him and his family.

Conservative civic groups and political parties ― including the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and minor ultra-rightist Our Republican Party ― set up side-by-side rallies along Sejong Street. The protesters waving Korean and American flags marched from Seoul Station to Gwanghwamun Square blocking traffic at certain locations.

The huge turnout ― on a national holiday ― was sparked partly by a rally in southern Seoul last Saturday, where more than 1 million people, according to the organizers, condemned the prosecution for its "politically charged" investigation of Cho's family.

Organizers for the Thursday gathering said last week's turnout supporting Cho prompted conservatives to display their full strength in numbers. Subway stations and buses disgorged wave after wave of people, mostly in their 60s or above, into the streets. Around 3 p.m., the LKP claimed over 3 million people had shown up.

Right-wing religious leaders and politicians gave fiery speeches on the failing economy and the administration's "soft" response to North Korea's recent missile tests. They chanted slogans including "Arrest Cho Kuk" and "Moon Jae-in out."

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"The Moon administration is the worst, the most incompetent and the most immoral administration since the nation was founded," LKP floor leader Na Kyung-won said.

Protesters hold placards calling for Justice Minister Cho Kuk's resignation at a massive rally in Seoul, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

LKP Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn alleged corruption allegations involving Cho keep multiplying one after another. "How can Moon appoint such a person as justice minister?" he asked the crowd. "Moon is ruining the country just to protect Cho."

Protesters taking a break from the sun in packed cafes near Gwanghwamun Square exchanged their latest theories on how unions were destroying the country.

"This administration doesn't click with our generation in terms of the national interest," said Im Jin-su, a 76-year-old Seoul resident. "We want peace and happiness for the country. Cho Kuk has a lot of faults and he was a left-wing activist. No country led by a leftist has ever come to any good."

"Cho is lying about his children's university admissions. He says his wife did the things, but that is no excuse," Yu Sun-ok, a 61-year-old from Daejeon, was quoted as saying by Yonhap News. "Cho should be judged by the law for lying, and Moon should also be judged for selecting Cho."

The main rally was followed by a smaller one organized by a coalition of university students around 6 p.m. at Marronnier Park in Daehangno, where the participants called for Cho's resignation.

The university admissions scandal surrounding Cho's children turned the public against the new justice minister, a liberal figure chosen by President Moon to fulfill his election pledge to reform the prosecution, which has long been accused of wielding too much power for political ends.

The prosecution's investigation into Cho's family was seen by some as an expression of resistance to such reform, and this stirred up some support for the embattled minister, as seen by last Saturday's rally.

Pressured by presidential orders, Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl announced Tuesday the closing down of most special investigation units that had been set up to deal with high-profile corruption and political cases. This was one of the reforms proposed by the President.

sylee@koreatimes.co.kr