S. Koreans rally for 6th weekend calling for leader’s ouster
SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — Rallying for the sixth straight weekend in what has become perhaps South Korea’s biggest protest movement ever, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in Seoul got the closest yet Saturday to the president they desperately want removed.
The demonstration came hours after lawmakers formally launched an attempt to impeach President Park Geun-hye and set up a floor vote for as early as next Friday. State prosecutors accuse Park of helping a close confidante extort money and favours from large companies and manipulate state affairs.
The scandal has sparked mass protests each Saturday in downtown Seoul. In the latest demonstration, the protesters advanced to a narrow alley about 100 metres (yards) away from the presidential palace grounds, an area police didn’t previously permit them to enter.
Police estimated the turnout at 320,000, making it the biggest anti-Park rally so far, though the crowd appeared to be much larger. Protest organizers estimated the crowd at 1.7 million.