South Koreans rally to demand Park’s ouster
Hundreds of thousands of people have attended a New Year's Eve rally in South Korea's capital, Seoul, to demand a year 2017 without President Park Geun-hye.
Protesters marched with candles and banners at hands on key government offices on Saturday.
There was no clear estimate by the government but the organizers said more than 600,000 people attended the rally, which was the tenth since protests erupted over a scandal involving Park and her closest friend Choi Soon-sil.
The two have been accused of colluding to wrest donations from large conglomerates to two dubious foundations.
"I came here to help usher in a new year that has no Park Geun-hye," said a protester who was in the demonstration with his two children.
Reports said an even bigger event had been staged for midnight in which the protesters were to continue their calls for Park’s ouster concurrent with the ringing of a giant bronze bell, which has been the tradition in Seoul to usher in the New Year.
South Korea’s parliament voted earlier this month to impeach Park. However, it is the Constitutional Court which should rule on the impeachment in the six-month deadline it has. And Park has resisted calls for resignation, saying she will wait until the court ruling is issued.
On Saturday, officials arrested former Health Minister Moon Hyung-pyo as part of a probe into Park’s alleged receipt of bribes from businesses, including Samsung. Moon is accused of using his position as a minister to pressure the National Pension Service (NPS), a state-run fund and a major Samsung shareholder, to back a controversial merger of two Samsung units. The deal, which ensured a smooth power transfer in Samsung's founding family, has allegedly incurred millions of dollars in losses for NPS subscribers.
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