Thousands of people took to the streets in Seoul on Saturday evening, calling for President Park Geun-hye to step down over allegations her longtime friend meddled in state affairs, in the first major anti-government rally since the Choi Soon-sil scandal came to the fore last week.

Breaking away from typical rallies dominated by civic groups and labor unions, Saturday’s protest saw a more diverse crowd, from families and couples to friends and even former supporters of President Park taking part. Many said it was their first time participating in a street rally.

The president is accused of letting her close confidante Choi peddle influence over her speeches and state policies and to get her daughter, Jeong Yoo-ra, accepted into a prestigious university. The 60-year-old civilian on Sunday returned to Korea from Europe, where she had stayed for two months, to cooperate with the investigation.

More people are expected to continue to pour out onto the streets, with candlelight vigils scheduled to continue every evening this week. More university students also plan to release statements condemning President Park’s actions.

Scores of the protestors told The Korea Herald during the rally they felt “betrayed” and “enraged” by President Park, who gave her non-elected confidante the power to meddle in key state affairs.

Packing streets along the Cheonggye Stream, an estimated 12,000 protestors lit candles and chanted “Let’s drag down Park Geun-hye” or “Resign, Park Geun-hye.” Some held up placards reading “I cannot live because I am too ashamed” or “Is this a country?”

Rally organizers put the number at 30,000.

“I voted for President Park in belief that she would embrace the public as the first female leader,” Kim Kye-jin, 80, joining an anti-government rally for the first time, told The Korea Herald. “I am disappointed and regret the decision. She ruined this country by ruling it as if it is her own.”

A series of issues that have drawn public criticism, such as the government’s botched rescue efforts during the Sewol ferry sinking, its push for labor market reforms and the reinstatement of state-issued history textbooks, did not bother him. But the senior citizen reached a breaking point this time. 

“Isn’t it a democratic country? Her self-righteousness and obstinacy cannot be forgiven in this era,” he said. “But I don’t want President Park to quit because her resignation will further create confusion.”

Clara Kim, a 48-year-old teacher, accompanied by her teenage daughter, said that she had come as she did not want her daughter to live in such an “undemocratic” society.

“I am so devastated. I cannot eat or sleep these days because all the rumors online (linking the president to a religious cult) seem to be true at this moment,” she said. “What makes me angrier is that it is not a single problem surrounding Choi Soon-sil. It is a problem of this governing system that let this undemocratic nonsense happen.”

The opposition parties -- the Minjoo Party of Korea and the People’s Party -- have not participated in the rally in an apparent attempt to distance themselves from the calls for Park to step down.

But some politicians, such as Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung of the Minjoo Party and Rep. Roh Hoe-chan of the Justice Party, joined the rally in a display of solidarity with the public.

“The president is not a ruler of the country, but a servant of the public. We cannot forgive the president for throwing her authority to rule the country given by people to a shaman’s family who has no foundation,” said Lee onstage, pointing out allegations that President Park had been influenced by Choi’s father and religious cult leader Choi Tae-min.

On the side of the protest scene booths were set up to collect signatures demanding the president resign.

Many of the young people at the rally lamented that the nation’s corrupt governing system has allowed Choi and her family to override law and order, betraying their “earnest” efforts to be better off.

Yeon Sa-rang, a 24-year-old first-time participant in a street rally, said she was furious about Park neglecting the public sentiment and how serious the situation is.

“As a student attending classes and studying for exams every day, I am mad that (Choi’s daughter) Jeong Yoo-ra was given special favors despite missing most of her classes,” she said. “I don’t agree with all of the political slogans being talked about here, but I had to come out to voice my anger.” 

Marching across central Seoul, Choi Hee-jung, a 32-year-old office worker, said that the Choi Soon-sil scandal only made him realize how tolerant the country had been of a monopoly of power among the rich and powerful.

“It is difficult to get a job, let alone get married. That’s why we call this country ‘Hell Joseon’ (a satirical term to describe socio-economic difficulties in modern Korea), but life for someone like Choi Soon-sil has been too easy on the back of the wealth and power she unfairly accumulated,” he said. “I am angry because I feel like there is no justice in this country.”

With only 20 days left until the nation’s college entrance exam, a group of 18-year-old students also took to the streets to condemn President Park for deceiving Koreans.

“I could not be stuck in a classroom studying in this situation,” said Lee Dong-kun, from a high school in Incheon. “I cannot believe that I have been ruled by a civilian behind the president. It is not the democracy I learned about at school.”

“What is more important than studying now is that I take action and be assured there is still hope for a fairer society,” Lee added.

Police lined up at Gwanghwamun Square to block protestors from marching to the presidential office, leading to a three-hour confrontation. There were no bus barricades or water cannons, possibly mindful of the souring public sentiment.

No major clashes were reported.

By Ock Hyun-ju  (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)