About 1.3 million gathered in Seoul on Saturday night to demand the resignation of scandal-plagued South Korean President Park Geun-hye for a fifth week in succession.
The protest’s organizers expected that number to grow to 1.5 million before the end of the night, and said a further 500,000 were gathering at various protests around the country in the largest ongoing series of demonstrations in the country since the 1987 movement to democratize South Korea.
Park’s presidency has been rocked by allegations that a close friend used her ties to the leader to meddle in state affairs and wield improper influence. Prosecutors investigating the case have indicted her friend, Choi Soon-sil, and are seeking to question the president about her role in the scandal.
Organizers said 800,000 people had gathered early on Saturday evening and expected a total of 1.5 million people to join by the end of the night. Police declined to give an estimate of the crowd size but said 25,000 personnel had been dispatched to police the protest.
The protests, now in their fifth week, have remained peaceful and marked by huge candle-lit rallies where activists and rock bands have entertained a diverse crowd of students, office workers, and young families.
“I was watching the news and thought this cannot go on – people really want her to step down but she hasn’t,” said 45-year-old Kwak Bo-youn, one of the protesters.
“This is the second time for me to the protests, but the first time for my husband and kids”.
Earlier in the day, a large group of demonstrators marched to within 200 metres of the presidential palace, where Park resides, but a court appeal to allow protesters to remain there after dark was rejected.
Approval ratings
Choi Soon-sil and a former aide to Park have been indicted by prosecutors on charges of colluding with the president to pressure big business to contribute funds to two foundations controlled by Choi.
Park, whose five-year term ends in February 2018, has apologized twice over the affair but is resisting calls for her resignation. Opposition parties are canvassing for support to impeach her.
Her approval ratings slipped one percentage point on Friday after hovering at just 5% for three consecutive weeks. Her disapproval rating rose three percentage points to 93%, according to a poll by Gallup Korea, which is not affiliated with the US-based Gallup, Inc.
Park Geun-hye’s popularity and election as president in 2012 stemmed in part from the symbolic connection to her father who ruled South Korea for 18 years until he was assassinated by his spy chief in 1979. Many, especially the elderly, credit Park’s father with the rapid development of Korea.
However, only 9% of people aged over 60 said Park was doing well, according to the Gallup Korea survey.
Her support is lowest amongst young people, with 99% of 19-29 year-olds and 98% of people in their thirties disapproving of Park, according to Gallup Korea.
Fears of policy-making paralysis prompted by the political crisis has also dealt a blow to consumer confidence, which fell to its lowest in more than seven years in November, South Korea’s central bank said.
For the good of the country, Ms Park had better arrange for an emergency election. Let the voters pick a new president. She has made too many mistakes, if not blunders, to remain in office.
Ms Park was steering a policy independent of USA and seeking to assert command of the South Korean military. USA is formenting their usual orange revolution campaign in South Korea now.
Ms Park has been quite cooperative with the US in the push for THAAD, among others, against the protests of Russia and China.
Shawn Napper Who was cooperative,for his own reasons,with the US in push for THAAD was supremo porky kim.
In the USA the media would say "the protestors are just a bunch of sexists and xenophobes"
True
Only a dictator would not heed the public outcry…..
I wish people would react this way in Spain, unfortunately it would mean protests every day all year round.
Politcians here use their power for all sorts of personal gains, they make sure to get a nice cosy position on the board of one of the several companies controlling the government, be it banks, energy or telecomunications..
Embezzlement is the norm with any project too, and sadly there’s a joke that explains it easily enough…
Town house needs painting so there’s an "auction", the first bid is for a Million. the second bid is 2 million. Then comes along the third one which offers to do the job for 3 million and wins – One million to pay the first company to paint the town hall, and another two million to share between the two.
In Spain they simply change the laws to make protesting illegal. The so called "Ley mordaza" that affects 7 fundamental rights supposedly secured for us in the constitution. In case that weren’t bad enough it is terribly amiguous allowing for basic unserious actions to be enough to spend the night in jail or to receive a 600k€ fine…
George Silversurfer – Well, porky Kim has neither a fully grown brain nor a corp of brainy advisors. However, N Korea does have the right to develop whatever defense it seems fit to deter potential military aggression planned by people in Washington and Langley.
Kaskako Balki Tor Don’t worry, people get more and more intelligent. The time is counted for all goverments around the world.