03:17 GMT +320 October 2018

Protesters shout slogans during a candle light vigil calling for impeached President Park Geun-hye to step down in Seoul, South Korea

South Koreans Stage Another Rally Calling On Impeached President to Step Down

© AP Photo / Ahn Young-joon

20:23 07.01.2017(updated 20:30 07.01.2017) Get short URL

Hundreds of thousands of South Korean citizens took to the streets on Saturday to demand the resignation of impeached President Park Geun-hye, local media reported.

Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the centre of the South Korean political scandal and long-time friend of President Park Geun-hye, appears for her first trial at the Seoul Central District Court on January 5, 2017 in Seoul, South Korea

© REUTERS / Chung Sung-Jun/Pool

South Korean President's 'Shadow Adviser' Pleads Innocent as Trial Starts

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the Yonhap news agency, citing organizers about 600,000 people gathered in central Seoul for the 11th consecutive Saturday rally since October 29 to protest against the president. The police put the number at 24,000.

Similar protests were also held in several other cities.

The South Korean parliament voted to impeach the president on December 9 in the wake of an influence-peddling scandal involving Park's "shadow adviser" Choi Soon-sil. Choi, who does not hold any official posts in the government or the president's administration, was accused of abuse of power after it was revealed she edited the president's speeches. Choi denied the allegations.

The Constitutional Court has now six months to decide upon the validity of the parliament's impeachment of Park. If the impeachment is recognized as valid, presidential elections should be called within two months.

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impeachment, resignation, Park Geun-hye, South Korea

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