SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Tens, and possibly hundreds, of thousands of South Koreans marched in Seoul on Saturday demanding the ouster of President Park Geun-hye in what one of the biggest protests in the country since its democratization about 30 years ago.
Police anticipated about 170,000 people to turn out near City Hall and an old palace gate while the protest organizers estimated as much as a million are taking part.
It’s the latest of a wave of massive rallies against Park, whose presidency has been shaken by suspicion that she let a shadowy longtime confidante to manipulate power from behind the scenes.
Park’s friend, Choi Soon-sil, the daughter of a late cult leader who emerged as Park’s mentor in the 1970s, is also suspected of exploiting her presidential ties to bully companies into donating tens of millions of dollars to foundations she controlled.
Despite rising public anger, opposition parties have yet to seriously push for Park’s resignation or impeachment over fears of negatively impacting next year’s presidential race. However, they have threatened to campaign for resignation if she doesn’t distance herself from state affairs.