One million candles in central Seoul call for Pres. Park’s resignation

Posted on : 2016-11-13 13:01 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
The South Korean people demonstrated their power with the biggest public assembly since 1987
During a massive rally held in Seoul on the afternoon of Nov. 12
During a massive rally held in Seoul on the afternoon of Nov. 12

One million people – it was the most people to congregate in downtown Seoul since the democratization movement in June 1987. The four streets that converge at the Gwanghwamun intersection twinkled with the glow of candles and cell phones held aloft by demonstrators. On the evening of Nov. 12, “the politics of the public square” was truly at work in downtown Seoul.

At the Blue House on Nov. 12, all officials with the rank of senior secretary and higher were on emergency duty and were periodically holding internal meetings. The people inside the Blue House must have heard the roar of the crowds, too. While President Park Geun-hye refuses to even step back into a secondary role in the government, a million candles made clear that the majority of the public call for her resignation.

 protesters fill the streets from Gwanghwamun Square to Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall
protesters fill the streets from Gwanghwamun Square to Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall

According to the organizers, more than one million people took part in the protest (the police place the figure at 260,000). This far exceeds the candlelit vigils for mad cow disease in Seoul in 2008, which maxed out at 700,000 people. Indeed, it is the biggest demonstration in 29 years, since a million people attended the funeral of Lee Han-yeol, a student at Yonsei University who was killed by a police tear gas canister, on June 9, 1987. The organizers of the protest said that 60,000 people also gathered in 10 other cities around the country, including 35,000 in Busan, 5,000 in Jeju, 10,000 in Gwangju and 4,000 in Daegu.

 lighting candles and calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down.
lighting candles and calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down.

Many protesters brought their entire families to the streets. There were quite a few young children rolling along in strollers or hitching a ride in their mother or father’s baby slings. A range of age groups was represented, from youngsters in school uniforms to the elderly. One by one, they came together to create a huge tide a million strong. After the main demonstration resumed at Gwanghwamun Square at 8 pm, groups of protesters took turns holding up their candles and mobile phone at the emcee’s request, creating a “candlelit wave” that rippled through central Seoul.

“Park still doesn’t seem to know what the people want. I came out because I wanted to let her know that she is the primary cause of the chaos in the government, since she has completely betrayed our faith and trust,” said a 40-year-old office worker surnamed Lim, who came early to the area by the stage at Gwanghwamun Plaza with his two children.

Protesters holding candles marching toward the Blue House
Protesters holding candles marching toward the Blue House

“How can a president who delegated the affairs of state to someone like Choi Sun-sil have the nerve to talk about putting the government back together again? I came with my daughter, who is in university, with the idea that every person counts,” said a homemaker who lives in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province.

The first speakers on the stage late at night at Gwanghwamun Square were students from Sacred Heart Girls’ High School, Park’s alma mater. The students called on Park to step down and pledged not to follow in her footsteps.

 located near Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul
located near Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul

Around 10 pm, Lee Seung-hwan came to the stage. “I’m singer Lee Seung-hwan, and I haven’t been put on the blacklist in the arts and culture world, which makes me embarrassed and has lately been making me try even harder,” Lee said, eliciting a roar of applause from the protestors.

The organizers announced that they would hold candlelight protests on the next two Saturdays, Nov. 19 and Nov. 26. While the official event ended at 10:25 pm, protestors continued to come on stage to speak until well after midnight.

 are blocked by a barricade of police buses
are blocked by a barricade of police buses

In related news, the standoff at the intersection in front of Gyeongbokgung Station between the police and protesters wanting to march on the Blue House continued until well after midnight. As of 1 am, more than 5,000 protesters were facing off with police. As scuffles broke out between protesters pushing forward and police trying to hold the line, some police officers and protesters had to be evacuated from exhaustion. The Jongno Police Department said that six people were taken to the hospital and that 23 were treated on the spot.

Around 11 pm, the police cordon was pushed back by protesters and a few people scrambled over the top of the barricade of police buses, but the protesters were asked to exercise self-restraint, and no major clashes occurred as of 1 am. On Nov. 12, the police arrested the first protester to climb over the vehicle barricade.

Protesters asked the police to make way so that the Blue House could hear their chanting, but the police refused to budge in the name of safety, asking protesters to show their civic maturity. Even amid the overnight standoff between police and protesters, both sides appeared to be making every effort not to provoke each other. The police continued to chant “nonviolence,” while the protesters shouted, “Don’t push, we’re protesters” and “nonviolence.”

 Nov. 12. The protesters were participating in the third candlelit rally demanding the truth about the Choi Sun-sil scandal and the resignation of South Korean President Park Geun-hye.
Nov. 12. The protesters were participating in the third candlelit rally demanding the truth about the Choi Sun-sil scandal and the resignation of South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

One first year student at a seminary said, “The police are probably exhausted, too, and I hope they don’t get hurt.” Other protesters could also be seen giving back riot shields that they had taken from the police.

Exactly one year before, this was the street where Baek Nam-ki, a farmer, was knocked down by the jet from a police water cannon in front of a vehicle barricade. The police behaved with greater tolerance than they did last year, and there were no extreme clashes or violent incidents this year. A few protesters did collide with the police during the march toward the Blue House, but this did not result in any severe physical altercations.

Protestors chant slogans and call on President Park Geun-hye to step down during the third rally calling for Park’s resignation
Protestors chant slogans and call on President Park Geun-hye to step down during the third rally calling for Park’s resignation

It’s true: neither the police nor the protesters want violence. When some protesters started shouting that “the violent police should step down,” a few protesters shouted back at them: “The police didn’t do anything wrong! Park Geun-hye is the only person who should step down.”

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

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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