[Photo by a joint press team]
Hundreds of thousands of citizens wearing winter or rain coats braved a sleety weather Saturday to stage a huge candle-lit rally in Seoul, calling for the fall and arrest of President Park Geun-hye who faces a parliamentary impeachment.
More than 20,000 riot police armed with water cannons and tear gas used hundreds of police buses and shields to set up tight barricades all around the presidential Blue House. Organizers said the rally drew about one million people while police put the number of participants at less than 300,000.
Tens of thousands of protesters shouting slogans such as "Arrest Park Geun-hye!" and "Surrender!" marched up to a police barricade some 200 meters (180 yards) from Park's office. There was no violence, however, with the protesters respecting an order to rewrite South Korea's turbulent political history marred by bloody military coups and violent protests.
After night fell, many citizens carrying small placards urging Park's resignation and arrest lit candles inside paper cups or waved electronic candles on the avenue dotted with government buildings, a US embassy complex, and high-rise office buildings.
It was the fifth rally of its kind in Seoul since a shocking corruption scandal involving Park, her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, and presidential aides erupted a month ago, sparking widespread public resentment. Peaceful rallies have been held in many other cities. Two weeks ago, nearly one million citizens gathered in the center of Seoul for one of the biggest anti-government protests in history.
[Yonhap News Photo]
The scandal has crippled state affairs for weeks, but Park has refused to step back, insisting she would carry out her duty as the head of state, undeterred by a barrage of humiliating media revelations and slanderous allegations about her wrongdoing and personal life.
"President Park has no exit. She should step down without staging an endless sit-in in the Blue House," said Choo Mi-ae, head of the main opposition Democratic Party.
Choo vowed to push for an early parliamentary vote for Park's impeachment, blasting the president as a criminal suspect who played a pivotal role in the scandal.
"The president should be punished for bribery because prosecutors have already revealed collusion between government officials and conglomerates. She has ruined our national economy," the opposition leader said.
[Photo by a joint press team]
The scandal has seriously tarnished Park's image and authority, triggering the worst crisis of her political career. The president's approval rating fell to a record-low four percent last week, according to a Gallup Korea survey.
Last week Park endorsed an opposition request for a special counsel probe while opposition parties agreed to seek a vote on her impeachment by December 9. Dozens of ruling party legislators promised to support opposition groups.
Park's impeachment requires approval from more than 200 lawmakers in the 300-member National Assembly. There are 171 opposition and independent lawmakers, and Saenuri has 128 seats.
After parliamentary approval, the impeachment motion will be sent to the Constitutional Court for up six months of deliberation. During the period, the president will be suspended.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
