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Participants hold placards calling for a thorough investigation into the Sewol ferry sinking and the arrest of Park Geun-hye

After a break following the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, weekend candlelight demonstrations in central Seoul are resuming with the raising of the Sewol ferry.

The group Emergency Citizen Action for the Resignation of the Park Geun-hye Administration is holding a 21st “day of pan-national action” event on Mar. 25 at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, where it plans to call for an investigation and punishments in connection with the Sewol sinking, the “resolution of longstanding vices,” and withdrawal of Park administration policies such as the THAAD missile defense system deployment. The group also plans to call for Park’s arrest, the resignation of Prime Minister and acting president Hwang Kyo-ahn, and punishments of chaebol chairmen and former Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs Woo Byung-woo.

An open air free speaking event will take place at 5 pm, after which the demonstration will be held at 6. At 7:30 pm, marches will be staged in two directions toward the Prime Minister’s official residence and the Jongno/Myeongdong area.

Several other events are scheduled in the Gwanghwamun Square area at 2 pm, including a Korean Confederation of Trade Unions event titled “A World without Irregular Positions and a 10,000-Won (US$8.95) Minimum Wage,” a Korean Government Employees' Union rally to demand an end to the performance-based removal system, and a street signature campaign by the Ssangyong Motor labor union and others for guarantees on three major labor rights, an end to provisional attachment for damages, and enactment of a “yellow envelope law.”

The Gwangju Citizen Campaign Headquarters for the Resignation of Park Geun-hye held its 20th candlelight demonstration at 6 pm on Mar. 24 at Gwangju’s May 18 Democracy Square in front of the former South Jeolla Provincial Office site.

“In addition to former President Park Geun-hye’s arrest and the resignation of Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn, we intend to express our hope for the full salvage of the Sewol,” the headquarters said.

Meanwhile, Emergency Citizen Action held a press conference in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on the morning of Mar. 24 to call on Prosecutors to arrest Park for their investigation. The group proceeded to submit a written “opinion on the need for a detention investigation of suspect Park Geun-hye” to the office.

“Former President Park Geun-hye has been removed by the people and is a suspect accused of 13 serious crimes, including bribe acceptance, abuse of power to obstruct the exercise of rights, and coercion,” the group said in stressing the need for Park’s arrest as part of the investigation.

“There have been nonstop allegations of concealing of countless pieces of evidence connected with government interference and political operations, including claims that dozens of document shredders were brought in to remove Presidential records while [Park] delayed vacating the Blue House,” it added.

By Ahn Young-choon, staff reporter and Jung Dae-ha, Gwangju correspondent

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