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Candlelight demonstrators enjoy their victory at Gwanghwamun Square on Mar. 10

The main slogan of the candlelight rallies was not present for the first time since the rallies began on Oct. 29, 2016.

On the evening of Mar. 10, after the Constitutional Court made its decision to uphold the impeachment of Park Geun-hye, 30,000 people who had gathered at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square proudly shouted “The candles won,” instead of the slogan “Step down, Park Geun-hye,” which they had shouted for more than four months.

“We welcome all the great ‘candlelight citizens’ who are experiencing their first night in a country where Park Geun-hye is not president. We enjoyed all the days we spent with you,” said Kim Deok-jin, external cooperation supervisor for Emergency Movement for Park's Resignation, who emceed the rally on Mar. 10. The protesters shouted slogans such as “A victory for common sense,” “The people won,” and “Send Park Geun-hye to prison.” When a video played showing Lee Jung-mi, acting president of the Constitutional Court, pronouncing Park’s dismissal from office, there were cheers and applause.

Amid a palpable feeling of relief, clusters of protesters spread out mats on the ground and spent Friday evening in a festive manner. As the music of Kingston Rudieska, the first band to perform, filled the air, the lyrics of one of the songs seemed especially apt: “This is the beginning. The time has come. When you think things are too late, we’ve already come this far.” One woman danced along with the music, while even the sign language interpreter swayed with the groove during the instrumental interlude.

“I was anxious until the last minute. It was really powerful for the ruling to be eight to zero, and I think that this is a really historical moment. I came out here to party: I wanted to share my joy with other people and to stop cowering in fear,” said Kim Hwa-jin, 63, who lives in Seoul’s Mapo District.

In his keynote address, Lee Tae-ho, co-director of the Emergency Movement’s situation room, expressed his gratitude to the candlelight protesters. “The darkness cannot defeat the light. Falsehood cannot beat the truth. We’ve all seen how our quiet and separate cries combined into a great shout and became a wild fire and how the will of the people, and the power of the voters, rose up like a mountain. We made it happen. Ladies and gentlemen, we have won. We voters have opened a new chapter in history,” he said.

Park’s impeachment brought a brief moment of joy to the families of those lost in the sinking of the Sewol ferry sinking. “It felt good for Park Geun-hye to be impeached, but I think it’s just for the moment. [Park’s unaccounted whereabouts for] seven hours after the Sewol sinking were left out of the impeachment, and the ship hasn’t been raised either. We’re still waiting,” said Jeong Seong-wook, head of the Salvage Committee of 4/16 Sewol Families for Truth and a Safer Society. Jeong shouted the slogan, “Raise the Sewol,” while asking protesters to remember the Sewol and the nine people whose bodies were never recovered.

In order to focus on the candlelight rally on Mar. 11, the Emergency Movement did not hold a march on Mar. 10. The Mar. 11 gathering will be a festival to celebrate the people’s win, and the 20th and final weekly demonstration.

By Park Su-ji, Park Soo-jin, Bang Jun-ho and Ko Han-sol, staff reporters

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