Korean Left Mobilizes To Protest President Park Over Influence Peddling Scandal
It looks like the usual suspects from the Korean left such as the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has given up protesting the THAAD deployment and moved on to the Choi Soon-shil issue that seems to have more traction with the Korean public:
Thousands of citizens took to the streets in downtown Seoul on Saturday, demanding President Park Geun-hye step down, in protest of an ongoing influence-peddling scandal surrounding her confidante.
Groups, including the country’s largest umbrella labor union, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), which had been at odds with the president on a host of issues in the past, jointly held a candlelight rally in Cheonggye Stream Square.
About 20,000 took part in the demonstration, according to the organizers, although the police put the number closer at 9,000, with 8,000 officers mobilized to deal with contingencies.
Police and politicians have been casting watchful eyes on the rally as it was the first mass movement after the president apologized in a nationally televised address over allegations raised against her confidante, Choi Soon-sil.
In the apology delivered Tuesday, Park admitted to the leak of dozens of presidential speeches to Choi before they were made public, acknowledging her ties.
Still, the scandal has only been snowballing as a series of media reports claimed Choi’s possible intervention in other state affairs, including some related to sensitive policy issues. Choi holds no governmental post.
A 24-year-old college student, who asked not to be named, said he joined a demonstration as he was “so frustrated and disappointed” about the latest scandal.
Others like Chris from Australia who works as an English teacher here said it seemed very meaningful that the public came out to send a message to the government. He asked for his last name not to be used for privacy reasons. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but the Australian quoted in the article may want to stay out of Korean political affairs because foreigners have been deported before in the past for this.
