Foreign

Heavy Protest Rocks South Korea Over President, Park Geun-hye’s Link To A Secret Cult

Published

7 years ago

November 14, 2016

Nearly one million South Koreans marched through the streets of Seoul on Saturday in protest against their president. Park Geun-hye is refusing to step down after allegations she let a friend meddle in state affairs. Her friend 60-year-old Choi Soon-sil is under investigation for abuse of power and fraud. She has links to sect called Church of Eternal Life, which Korean media describes as a ‘Shamanistic cult’

The candlelit rally was the largest yet with 850,000 people marching through the city centre and packing a 12-lane thoroughfare.

Families with young children and protesters in wheelchairs were among the crowd during the peaceful march, which contrasted with the violence of previous rallies dominated by militant unions.

Police estimated the crowd at 250,000 but organisers put the figure at nearer one million.

It was the third weekend protest rally since Park’s first public apology on October 25 when she admitted she had sought the advice of her friend, Choi Soon-sil.

Park’s acknowledgement only served to fuel public anger and suspicion over the secret confidant, who apparently held no official government position.