Thousands of South Koreans gathered in Seoul on October 3 for rallies against President Lee Jae-myeon. Conservative opposition parties accused him of weakening national security, excessive closeness to North Korea, corruption and the destruction of the rule of law, and participants demanded that he be removed from office.
The largest event was organized by the conservative “People Power“ party in the center of the capital. The party said that about 200,000 people participated in the rally. South Korean media, citing unofficial police estimates, indicated a significantly lower number – about 9-10 thousand participants.
The leader of the “People Power“ Jang Dong-hyeok sharply criticized the president. “In just a year and a half of Lee Jae-myung's rule, the Republic of Korea has become hell. Real estate, the welfare of citizens, the economy, national security and public order - all of this is hell”, he said at the rally.
According to him, South Korea has become a hostage to one man and risks becoming a hostage to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Jang also accused the president of falling into the “trap” of illegal financial ties with North Korea – a claim that is part of the opposition's political accusations, not an established fact.
Controversy over the reaction after the explosion in the DMZ
Some of the criticism was related to the explosion of a mine in the DMZ on the border with the DPRK in late September. The incident injured three South Korean soldiers, and the military said the mine was likely North Korean. The final conclusion depends on the ongoing investigation.
Opposition representatives said that Lee Jae-myung had not condemned Pyongyang's possible involvement clearly enough. According to them, the government's reaction shows weakness on security issues. South Korea has already warned that it may take "appropriate measures" if the mine is confirmed to have been planted by North Korea.
Second rally draws about 28,000 people
A separate protest for the president's resignation was organized by the Liberal Unification Party, led by Pastor Jang Kyung-don. According to an unofficial police estimate cited by “Yonhap”, about 28,000 people participated.
The protesters carried South Korean and American flags and banners calling for Lee Jae-myung to resign and face trial. They accused his administration of undermining the democratic system and the South Korean-US alliance, and chanted slogans calling for the return of former President Yun Seok-yeol.
“People Power“ also criticized changes to the criminal justice system that the party says limit prosecutors' powers to investigate. The opposition also attacked attempts to drop or withdraw charges against the president.
The rallies came ahead of a parliamentary review of government institutions, which is set to begin next week. It is expected to give the opposition a new platform to criticize the government's policies.
Sources: Ukrainska Pravda, Yonhap, Chosun Daily