Anti-Park protests flare up across the country; 600,000 people gathered in Seoul

By Park Si-soo

The fourth mass anti-president rally has kicked off in downtown Seoul on Saturday evening with an estimated 600,000 people as of 10 p.m., including students and senior citizens, carrying lighted candles and chanting slogans calling for scandal-plagued President Park Geun-hye's immediate resignation.

The crowd turned out to be smaller this time than last Saturday's one million people -- the largest protest movement in the nation in three decades. But today, mid- and small-sized rallies are being staged in nearly 100 locations across the country, including Busan, Daegu and many other cities and towns in the southeastern part of the country, long been regarded as Park's undisputed political stronghold. So the combined number of protesters throughout the nation is expected to reach over 900,000, according to rally organizers.

An estimated 600,000 people join the 4th mass anti-President protest in Seoul, Saturday. / Yonhap

In Seoul, protesters will march toward the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, after holding a peaceful candlelit rally in Gwanghwamun Square only 1-2 kilometers away from the presidential office. They will march toward a police limit line drawn only 430 meters from the presidential office.

Police have dispatched tens of thousands of armed riot police officers to control the rally and prevent the protesters from advancing beyond the limit line.

Meanwhile, about 10,000 members of pro-Park groups, collectively called "Parksamo" -- which literally means people who love Park Geun-hye -- staged a counter-rally in front of Seoul Station, Saturday afternoon, demanding that Park remain in power and denouncing politicians and protesters who want the President to resign.

Approval rating in doldrums

President Park's approval rating remains at a record-low single digit, data showed Friday.

According to the survey conducted by pollster Gallup Korea, Park's national approval rating remained unchanged on-week at 5 percent, with the disapproval rating also standing at 90 percent, both record levels.

The public sentiment against Park has dropped sharply in the past weeks amid the influence-peddling scandal of her confidante Choi Soon-sil, who allegedly exerted power on state affairs and enjoyed unlawful favors. Amid the allegations, there have been various protests throughout the country that called for Park to resign.

Accordingly, the main opposition Democratic Party stood as the most favored party with an approval rating of 31 percent, trailed by the ruling Saenuri Party that posted 15 percent, down 2 percentage points on-week. The splinter People's Party held 14 percent, up 1 percentage point.

Gallup Korea said Saenuri's latest approval rating marks the lowest figure since the launch of Park's administration. The survey was conducted on 1,007 South Koreans with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points this week.

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