Six Saturday candlelight vigils. Nearly 7 million cumulative participants. And President Park Geun-hye is impeached.

Yet South Korean protesters say this is not the end of their fight.

Braving the sub-zero temperatures, some 800,000 people bundled up in thick jackets and flocked the Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul in their seventh Saturday rally, this time to celebrate Park’s impeachment.

“It is a triumph of the people. We have fought hard to defend our democracy,” Kim Yool-gu, 47, told The Korea Herald. “But we are only halfway through until she steps down. It is only a beginning to root out corrupt political and economic systems.”

South Koreans have taken to the streets and lit candles across the nation ever since a scandal broke out late October revealing how President Park’s friend Choi Soon-sil, who has neither an official government post nor policy background, had been meddling in state affairs and used her ties to the leader to extort money from conglomerates.

The latest protest was the first since the parliament impeached Park on Friday for the scandal, with the approval of 234 lawmakers from the 300-seat National Assembly.

Now, the fate of her presidency is left up to the Constitutional Court as it requires final approval from it, which could take up to 180 days.

Many of the protesters vowed to hold up candles until Park is gone and those who assisted her in committing wrongdoings are held accountable.

“I am happy, but it is not the end to making a society that can be ruled by the people. We need to take this as an opportunity to remove corrupt links between the prosecution, family-owned conglomerates and powerful politicians,” said Cho Jong-joo, who was giving out free coffee and tea at the square.

Sixty-two-year-old Cho Min-koo came to the protest with his family.

“The Constitutional Court should make a decision as quickly as possible to uphold the public calls,” he said.

On Saturday evening, the boulevards surrounding Gwanghwamun Square turned into a festive outdoor concert venue, with citizens taking to the stage to make speeches and local singers performing.

At the peak of the event, fireworks let off, participants hugged strangers next to them and waved candles.

Many protesters said the outcome taught them the meaning of democracy.

“I cannot believe that we made this impeachment happen. I am so touched and excited. I learned that I can change society if I participate,” said 18-year-old student Kwon So-yoon. “I am not even cold, because of the people around me.”

Others demanded a thorough probe and stern punishment of Park, her friend Choi Soon-sil and ex-presidential aides such as Woo Byung-woo and Kim Ki-choon, who are also implicated in the scandal.

“Park Geun-hye and her friends in the political and economic circles who assisted her to commit crimes should all be arrested and punished so that such corruption can never happen again,” said 21-year-old student Kim Na-jin.

Earlier in the day, some 15,000 people, mostly in their 60s or older, from right-wing civic groups and President Park’s fan club staged a rally near the square, calling for the impeachment to be canceled. They carried banners reading, “Don’t cry. Don’t be sad. Be confident,” slamming the parliament for passing the impeachment motion.

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



An earlier version of this article was published online. – Ed