South Koreans march to presidential office to call for president’s immediate resignation

Record ID: 76648

  • Title: South Koreans march to presidential office to call for president’s immediate resignation
  • Date: 10th December 2016
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN PROTEST LEADER, AHN JIN-GEOL SAYING: "We have only one slogan that the president should resign right away as she was impeached (in the parliamentary vote). We can't approve her as our president and we will not. She should resign immediately and take the investigation by the special prosecutors. Then she should be arrested and receive the heaviest punishment." PROTESTERS DRAWING MOCKUP JAIL THAT HAS PICTURE OF SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT PARK GEUN-HYE, DRESSED UP AS A PRISONER INSIDE PICTURE OF PARK, DRESSED UP AS A PRISONER VARIOUS OF CHILDREN HOLDING CANDLES AND POSTERS, MARCHING CHILD SITTING ON FATHER'S SHOULDER, HOLDING POSTER / LETTERS ON POSTER READING (Korean): "CONSTITUTIONAL COURT, IMPEACH PARK GEUN-HYE AS WELL!" PROTESTERS HOLDING FLAGS AND MARCHING
  • Embargoed: 25th December 2016 09:22
  • Keywords: protest march president impeachment Park Geun-hye
  • Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
  • City: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
  • Country: South Korea
  • Reuters ID: LVA0035CAVDJ9
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: South Korean protesters march to the presidential office on Saturday (December 10) to demand President Park Geun-hye's immediate resignation over an influence-peddling scandal even after she was impeached in the parliamentary vote.
    Members of parliament voted by a higher-than-expected 234 in favour and 56 opposed in the secret ballot on Friday (December 9), meaning more than 60 of Park's own conservative Saenuri Party members backed the motion to remove her. The votes of at least 200 members of the 300-seat chamber were needed for the motion to pass.
    The Constitutional Court must decide whether to uphold the motion, a process that could take up to 180 days.
    Under the constitution, Park's duties will be assumed by Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on an interim basis until the court rules.
    However, protesters said the disgraced and scandal fainted president should resign immediately.
    "We have only one slogan that the president should resign right away as she was impeached (in the parliamentary vote). We can't approve her as our president and we will not. She should resign immediately and take the investigation by the special prosecutors. Then she should be arrested and receive the heaviest punishment," said the protest leader Ahh Jin-geol.
    The protest organizers said 200,000 people gathered and marched toward the presidential office as part of the seventh Saturday rally against Park. More are expected to join a candlelight protest in the evening.
    Park is accused of colluding with a friend and a former aide to pressure big businesses to donate to two foundations set up to back her policy initiatives.
    Mass rallies have been held in the capital, Seoul, every Saturday for the past six weeks to press her to resign.
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