Mass protest in Seoul against South Korean President

SEOUL: Thousands of protesters held a candlelight rally in the South Korean capital on Saturday (Oct 29), calling on President Park Geun-hye to step down over allegations that allowed a close personal friend to meddle in state affairs.

South Koreans took to the streets despite a public apology by Park late on Friday. Teenagers in school uniforms, college students, labour activists, and middle-aged couples with young children joined the rally, carrying banners and chanting "step down Park Geun-Hye".

"I came here today to show how angry I am," said Lee Ji-Hu, a 33-year-old housewife from Gimpo, northwest of Seoul, accompanied by her husband and two infant children in strollers.

Choi Soon-sil a "friend" has been advising President Park Geun-hye on how to run the government. Ms. Choi is the daughter of a religious figure whose relationship with Ms. Park had long been the subject of lurid rumors. The figure, Choi Tae-min, was often compared to Rasputin here, and now critics say his daughter is playing the same role.

Mr. Choi was a former police officer who had also been a Buddhist monk and a convert to Roman Catholicism. (He also used seven different names and was married six times by the time he died in 1994 at the age of 82.) He became a mentor to Ms. Park, helping her run a pro-government volunteer group called Movement for a New Mind. Ms. Choi became a youth leader in that group.

According to the report by the KCIA, as the country’s intelligence agency was then called, Mr. Choi was a “pseudo pastor” who had used his connection to Ms. Park to secure bribes. Ms. Choi effectively told the president to do this and do that,” the newspaper quoted Mr. Lee as saying. “There was nothing the president could decide alone.” Ms. Park’s office did not comment on the report.

Koreans did this once before and got rid of a third world dictatorial system and replaced it with what you see there today, a rich modern free country. They do it without violent revolution. Their liberty tree is watered with crowds in the streets but not much blood.

I liked, Park Chung Hye. I know western media would do crap there to make protest to look big when they weren’t. Umm like showing a protest with a bus stop in the background. Koreans have a history of political intrigue even their great hero’s were taken down by political enemies. I hope President Park a lot of her daddy’s spirit.

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