Protesters hold a candlelight rally at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on Nov. 26, 2016, to call for President Park Geun-hye’s resignation. Park has been under pressure to step down over a nation-rocking political scandal involving her and her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil. (Yonhap)
This really shows how fed up the Korean people are with President Park that the Korean left was able to get far more people to this weekend’s rally than what they were able to get to attend the anti-US beef protests in 2008:
Protesters stage a candlelight rally on a thoroughfare in downtown Seoul on Nov. 12, 2016, as they take part in an anti-government rally to demand President Park Geun-hye resign over an influence-peddling scandal implicating her longtime close friend Choi Soon-sil. In the background is Mount Bukak, at the foot of which the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae is located. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in Seoul on Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday, in numbers not seen in decades, for the latest massive rally to demand President Park Geun-hye’s resignation over the growing scandal involving her confidante.
Over 1 million people joined the candlelight rally at Gwanghwamun Plaza in downtown Seoul as of 7:30 p.m., according to organizers. Police said 260,000 people gathered, which surpasses the 170,000 they had originally expected.
It is the largest rally to be held in South Korea this century to date, comparable to one that took place in 1987. Over 1 million Koreans took the streets at that time, leading the then Chun Doo-hwan military regime to accept their calls to adopt a direct presidential election system.
The previous record was set in June 2008 when 80,000 people, based on police calculations, turned out for a rally in Seoul against the government decision to resume U.S. beef imports. Organizers then put the number at 700,000.
Police said they deployed some 25,000 officers in riot gear on Saturday to prevent potential violence.
Major streets near Gwanghwamun were packed with citizens — men and women, young and old — holding banners that said “Step down Park Geun-hye!” and chanting slogans against the current administration.
Three opposition parties joined the rally, along with some potential presidential hopefuls, including Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon of the Democratic Party. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but it appears that Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon is the one on the Korean left trying to best position himself as their standard bearer if Park does in fact resign.
The Korean left has finally found a cause that they can rally masses of Koreans around after sniffing around for the past 8 years since the anti-US beef crisis for another anti-government cause to rally Koreans behind:
South Korea’s deputy prime minister on Friday pleaded for a peaceful demonstration as hundreds of thousands of people are expected to join an anti-government protest Saturday, amid rising public anger over President Park Geun-hye’s corruption scandal.
Lee Joon-sik, education minister and deputy prime minister for social affairs, released a statement ahead of the rally that may draw the largest number of participants this millennium.
Police expect 170,000 protesters to join the rally, involving 1,500 civic groups, while the organizers put the number between 500,000 and 1 million.
“The government is concerned that the rally might turn into a massive violent incident and hinder the opportunity (for people) to soundly voice their opinions,” Lee said in the statement.
“We are well aware that our people are disappointed about the latest scandal, and that they are worried about the operation of state affairs,” he said. “The government is putting utmost efforts to run the country and to lead our society in the right direction.” [Yonhap]
More video from last night's protest in Seoul against president Park Geun-hye. Even bigger protests expected next weekend, local media says. pic.twitter.com/SRzueNMeIt
Thousands now marching in Seoul, calling for president to resign. Biggest Korean demonstration since 2008 beef protests. About 43,000 here. pic.twitter.com/JCriIL02QV
This provided photo shows Kim Jeong-ah (L), leader of Tongil Mom, a group comprised of North Korean refugee women working to be reunited with their children, holding a rally in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington on Oct. 31, 2016, to urge China not to deport North Korean defectors. (Yonhap)
When you go to UC-Berkley I guess everyone is supposed to find something to protest, even if the protest means nothing to the vast majority of Americans; I did get a laugh out of the below sign though:
Korean students at the University of California, Berkeley, are furious at the political scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidant Choi Soon-sil.
Thirty Korean students from the U.S. school on Tuesday denounced Park and her administration for not taking full responsibility for the deepening democratic crisis.
They are the first Korean students studying at American universities to hold a protest rally over the scandal.
The students read a statement in Korean and English that said: “As students of Korean heritage, we are furious to find out about the recent political scandal known as ‘Park-Choi Gate.’ To restore democracy in South Korea, we demand President Park, her administration and her party assume full responsibility.
“We are furious. We, as South Koreans, are furious to witness such a collection of criminal events taking place in a democratic country.” [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but I have to wonder if they are concerned about “a collection of criminal events in a democratic country” have they been holding any protests against Hillary Clinton who’s passing of classified information over insecure email may not have been to a Shaman, but is the same issue, which also includes the issue of improper donations to each President’s respective foundations which is also both being investigated.
A group of citizens holds a regular Wednesday rally calling for the Japanese government to make an official apology for Japan’s past wrongdoings against women in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Oct. 12, 2016. Some 200,000 Asian women, mostly Koreans, were forced to provide sexual services to Japanese soldiers in front-line brothels during World War II. The victims are euphemistically called “comfort women.” (Yonhap)
