South Korean President Park Geun-hye faced mounting pressure to step down on Saturday as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched in the capital to protest allegations that she let a friend meddle in state affairs.
Saturday’s rally in downtown Seoul was the largest so far in a crisis engulfing Ms. Park (64) and organisers said some 850,000 people packed streets running through the city centre, including a 12-lane thoroughfare. Police estimated the crowd at 260,000.
Third weekend rally Students, families including young couples pushing strollers, and protesters in wheelchairs were among the crowd during the peaceful march.
It was the third weekend protest rally since Ms. Park’s first public apology on Oct. 25 when she admitted she had sought the advice of her friend, Choi Soon-sil.
Another apology by Ms. Park and an offer to work with the parliamentary Opposition to form a new Cabinet and relinquish some power also failed to quell the crisis, prompting opponents to say she did not grasp its severity.
Ms. Park has dismissed some of her most senior and closest advisers, and former aides have been arrested on charges of abuse of power.
Ms. Choi, the friend who is believed to have been acquainted with the President since the 1970s, has been charged with abuse of power and fraud. Members of main Opposition parties joined Saturday's rally, suggesting there is growing support in Parliament for action to remove her from power, although there was no formal move yet to launch impeachment proceedings against her.
