It was the largest rally in South Korea’s history, held in an amazingly peaceful and orderly manner. Yet, the message was stern and unforgiving: President Park Geun-hye should be removed from office right now, not several months later.

The protests, which flared up Saturday in Seoul and at over 60 locations throughout the country, were a clear sign of growing public anger toward the president over an influence-peddling and corruption scandal, as well as the political parties that have so far failed to remove her from office.

An estimated 2.32 million -- 1.7 million in Seoul -- poured onto the streets to ramp up pressure on the embattled leader. 

If the tally, counted by rally organizers, is correct, it is the biggest in the nation’s history, estimated at more than double the size of that in June 1987 when about 1 million people poured onto the streets to protest for democracy.

The protestors chanted “Park Geun-hye, step down immediately. It is the public’s order” and “Arrest Park Geun-hye” while holding their candles.

Many held signs reading “Impeach Park Geun-hye.”

“President Park is delaying stepping down, leaving the decision on her own presidency up to the parliament,” Kim Seong-ju, 27, told The Korea Herald in Gwanghwamun Square. “That way, she is sparking infighting in the National Assembly. We (the public) have no option but to topple the president ourselves.”

A day earlier, three opposition parties submitted an impeachment bill against Park, aiming for a vote on Friday.

The bill’s submission and voting schedule has been delayed by one week and the prospects of its passage have also been dimmed by the embattled president’s surprise offer Tuesday to cut her term short. Park has asked the parliament to decide the timetable for her early departure.

Park’s Saenuri Party, controlling 128 votes of the 300-member parliament -- enough to thwart the opposition-led move -- suggested a schedule in which Park would be allowed to stay in office until April next year.

“I think Park’s third televised address (on Tuesday) was a sophisticated political ploy. Now, the public fury, which was directed at President Park and her confidante Choi Soon-sil, spreads to the National Assembly,” said Seo Young-soo, 23. 

Before the main candlelight vigil that began at 6 p.m. in Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, some 500,000 protesters marched toward the Presidential Office of Cheong Wa Dae. 

They were allowed to march up to 100 meters from Cheong Wa Dae. Last week, protesters were blocked from further access at Cheongwundong Community Center, 200 meters from the presidential palace.

“As we are only 100 meters away from President Park in her office, I hope our voices are better delivered,” said Choi Jeong-seon, 53. “The opposition parties should join forces to impeach her.”

Showing the public anger directed at lawmakers opposing Park’s impeachment, some protesters flocked to the Saenuri Party headquarters in Yeouido, southwestern Seoul.

“The Saenuri Party is an accomplice to President Park’s crimes. Ignoring the public’s voices, she is clinging on to power. She should step down right now,” said Park Jae-young, 29.

Some threw eggs at the banner on the building reading: “Dear Koreans, we are really sorry. We will get state affairs back on track as soon as possible.”

They tore apart a large party flag during the rally.

On the other side of Seoul, some 15,000 loyal supporters of President Park gathered in front of Dongdaemun Design Plaza, denouncing anti-Park protestors as “witch-hunting” the president. The police tally of attendance was 1,500.

President Park Geun-hye’s approval rating remained at a record-low 4 percent this week, a Gallup Korea poll showed Friday, while 91 percent disapproved of her.

So far, the cumulative number of Koreans who participated in the past six weeks of anti-Park protests has exceeded 6 million, according to rally organizers. 

Police’s tally of Saturday’s protest was 320,000 in Seoul and 104,000 more across the nation.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)
     Bak Se-hwan(sh@heraldcorp.com)