Thousands of South Koreans rallied in Seoul on Saturday demanding the
resignation of President Park Geun-hye, as a crisis deepened over allegations a
friend exerted
inappropriate influence over her and interfered in state affairs.
The street protest came as prosecutors investigate presidential aides and
other officials to determine whether they broke the law to allow Park's friend,
Choi Soon-sil, to wield undue influence and gain financially.
Angry Koreans say Park betrayed public trust and mismanaged the
government, and has lost a mandate to lead the country.
"She must step down," Lee Jae-myung, mayor of Seongnam city
south of Seoul and a vocal critic of the government, said to a loud cheer from
the crowd. "If Park Geun-hye is no longer president, will our lives be any
worse off and will the tension with North Korea be any worse?" he asked
the crowd, which responded "No!"
About 8,000 people attended the rally, according to police, organized by
a group of left-leaning civic groups. Organizers said up to 30,000 people took
part in the march through the capital.
"It's become clear the people made a wrong decision and picked a
wrong president," Jeong Hong-woo, 22, told Reuters at the rally.
Police in riot gear faced some protesters as they tried to march on the
presidential Blue House.
Park is in the fourth year of a 5-year one-term presidency. Opposition
parties have demanded a thorough investigation, but have not raised the
possibility of impeaching her.
Park's office said late on Friday she ordered her senior secretaries to
tender their resignations, and she will reshuffle the office in the near
future. Her chief of staff separately offered to resign earlier, the office
said.
The deepening crisis over Choi has sent Park's public support to an
all-time low. In one opinion poll, more than 40 percent of respondents said
Park should resign or be impeached.
COOPERATING WITH PROBE
Prosecutors are investigating two of Park's aides who allegedly helped
Choi get access to drafts of Park's speeches and set up two foundations with
about 50 billion won ($44 million) in contributions from conglomerates that she
later benefited from, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
The presidential office said it was cooperating with the prosecutors'
investigation, including a request for documents.
A public apology by Park on Tuesday - for giving Choi access to draft
speeches during the early months of her presidency - has done little to deflect
demands that the president reveal the full extent of her ties with Choi and
whether Choi gained favors from the relationship.
Choi said in a newspaper interview on Thursday from Germany, where she was
staying, that she read and revised Park's speeches early in the presidential
term, but denied all allegations she interfered in state affairs.
Park is the latest South Korean leader to be embroiled in scandal
involving family or friends.
As well as demanding Park stand down, civic groups and students want
criminal charges brought against her aides and others who helped Choi have
access to government documents.
Reuters
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