Candlelit protest to call for Sewol investigation
Candles are expected to fill the streets of downtown Seoul again Saturday, resuming the weekend protests that helped remove former President Park Geun-hye from office.
However, the organizer said the rally will be a one-off event to call for an investigation into the cause of the Sewol ferry disaster which killed more than 300 people. The ferry was lifted from the seafloor on Thursday, 1,073 days after sinking.
The organizer originally planned a protest for the evening on April 15, the eve of the third anniversary of the country’s worst maritime disaster.
The candlelit rally organizers have long invited the Sewol survivors and bereaved families to their weekly events which lasted 20 weeks. When the Constitutional Court announced it would uphold Park’s impeachment on March 10, the family members were also near the court with cheering crowds.
The organizer said one of the family members of the nine missing passengers will be on stage Saturday to address the participants and garner support to pressure the government to start the investigation.
The protesters are also expected to pressure prosecutors to arrest Park, who was questioned on Tuesday. On Friday, the prosecution said they were still considering whether to file an arrest warrant for Park. She is accused of colluding with her confidant, Choi Soon-sil, to extort money from big businesses as well as sharing state secrets with Choi. Park reportedly denied all allegations against her.
The protesters will start marching in downtown Seoul through Myeong-dong to the prime minister’s residence in Samcheong-dong, but will pass the Constitutional Court and Cheong Wa Dae.
Meanwhile, Park Geun-hye supporters will gather outside Deoksu Palace for a rally to show their solidarity for Park.
They’ve been claiming the prosecution and the Constitutional Court’s moves to remove her was an act of treason. Their recent rally outside the Constitutional Court on March 10 turned violent, with three supporters dying. Police forces are expected there to prevent possible clashes between the two parties.