Thousands of protesters demand that SKorea's president quit
SEOUL,
South Korea (AP) -- Tens of thousands of South Koreans poured into the
streets of downtown Seoul on Saturday, using words including "treason"
and "criminal" to demand that President Park Geun-hye step down amid an
explosive political scandal.
The
protest, the largest anti-government demonstration in the capital in
nearly a year, came a day after Park apologized on live television amid
rising suspicion that she allowed a mysterious confidante to manipulate
power from the shadows.
Holding
banners, candles and colorful signs that read "Park Geun-hye out" and
"Treason by a secret government," a sea of demonstrators filled a large
square in front of an old palace gate and the nearby streets, singing
and thunderously applauding speeches calling for the ouster of the
increasingly unpopular president.
They
then shifted into a slow march in streets around City Hall, shouting
"Arrest Park Geun-hye," ''Step down, criminal" and "We can't take this
any longer," before moving back to the square and cheering on more
speeches that continued into the night.
"Park
should squarely face the prosecution's investigation and step down
herself. If she doesn't, politicians should move to impeach her," said
Kim Seo-yeon, one of the many college students who participated in the
protest.
"She absolutely lost all authority as president over the past few weeks," he said.
Earlier
in the week, prosecutors arrested Choi Soon-sil, the daughter of a late
cult leader and a longtime friend of Park, and detained two former
presidential aides over allegations that they pressured businesses into
giving $70 million to two foundations Choi controlled.
There
are also allegations that Choi, despite having no government job,
regularly received classified information and meddled in various state
affairs, including the appointment of ministers and policy decisions.
"I
came out today because this is not the country I want to pass on to my
children," said another demonstrator, Choi Kyung-ha, a mother of three.
"My kids have asked me who Choi Soon-sil was and whether she's the real
president, and I couldn't provide an answer."
Choi
Tae-poong, a 57-year-old retiree, said he came out to protest because
he thought the situation had reached a point where "no more patience is
allowed."
"I cannot bear this anymore," he said.
Police estimated the crowd at 45,000, although protest organizers said about 200,000 people turned out.
Police
used dozens of buses and trucks to create tight perimeters in streets
around the square in front of the palace gate to close off paths to the
presidential office and residence. Thousands of officers dressed in
fluorescent yellow jackets and full riot gear stood in front of and
between the vehicles as they closely monitored the protesters.
Smaller
protests have taken place in the past few weeks in Seoul and other
cities amid growing calls for Park to step down. While several
politicians have individually called for Park's ouster, opposition
parties have yet to attempt a serious push for her resignation or
impeachment in fear of negatively impacting next year's presidential
election.
"How
many more astonishing things must happen before this country changes
for the better?" said Park Won-soon, the opposition mayor of Seoul and a
potential presidential candidate, vowing to push for the president's
resignation.
President
Park has tried to stabilize the situation by firing eight aides and
nominating three new top Cabinet officials, including the prime
minister, but opposition parties have described her personnel reshuffles
as a diversionary tactic.
One
national poll released Friday had Park's approval rating at 5 percent,
the lowest for any president in South Korea since the country achieved
democracy in the late 1980s following decades of military dictatorship.
In
Friday's televised apology, Park commented on the corruption
allegations surrounding Choi and her former aides and vowed to accept a
direct investigation into her actions, but avoided the more damning
allegation that Choi perhaps had interfered with important government
decisions on policy and personnel.
Opposition
parties, sensing weakness, immediately threatened to push for her
ouster if she doesn't distance herself from domestic affairs and
transfer the duties to a prime minister chosen by parliament. The
parties have also called for a separate investigation into the scandal
led by a special prosecutor.
Park
has 15 months left in her term. If she resigns before the end of it,
South Korean laws require the country to hold an election to pick a new
president within 60 days.
No comments:
Post a Comment