Spotlight: Drawn-out political unrest divides S. Koreans over presidential impeachment

A long-drawn-out political unrest in South Korea has been dividing people on the streets, with separate mass rallies held in Seoul on recent weekends to permanently oust or reinstate President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached in the parliament on Dec. 9.

Hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens packed the Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday night to participate in the 15th candlelit rally. The square is just about one km away from the presidential Blue House where President Park is awaiting the constitutional court's ruling on the impeachment motion.

Despite the subfreezing weather, people dressed in thick winter coat, scarf and gloves took to the streets, calling on Park to be permanently removed from office. If the court upholds the bill, Park would become the first elected South Korean leader to be forced out.

Participants varied, as usual, from high school and college students to grey-haired old men and couples with their children. They clamored for the court's immediate approval of the impeachment and an extended investigation by an independent counsel.

The special prosecutors attempted last Friday to search the presidential office, which thwarted it on the pretext of possible leakage of military and official secrets. The prosecutors reportedly filed a complaint with a Seoul court to confirm the illegality of the thwarting.

Park also delayed a face-to-face investigation by the independent counsel, which she already vowed to accept. It was viewed as a ploy to buy time as their investigations are scheduled to end by the end of this month.

Efforts to buy time were found in the constitutional court's pleading sessions, where Park's legal team tried in vain to add a long list of witnesses and put off time to complete their testimonies. Calls are high for the completion of its deliberation before the middle of March given that one of the eight remaining judges is set to retire then.

To uphold the impeachment bill, six of the eight justices are required to approve. One more retirement would put the legitimacy of the historic ruling in danger.

Mirroring the rising public concerns, key politicians in the opposition bloc attended the candlelit demonstrations. Participants included former head of the biggest opposition Minjoo Party Moon Jae-in, a frontrunner in presidential polls, and Sim Sang-jung, the presidential contender of the minor opposition Justice Party.

Another square outside the Seoul City Hall, some 500 meters away from the Gwanghwamun Square, was crowded with supporters of Park, mostly older people, to demand the rejection of the impeachment.

The 12th pro-Park demonstration, called the rally of "Taegeukgi," which is South Korea's national flag, was held in front of the Seoul Plaza. Space to separate Park loyalists from candlelight protesters was secured by placing a wall of police buses between them to prevent possible clashes.

Participants held fliers that read illegitimate impeachment, fabricated evidences and fake news reports, calling for the impeachment rejection and the disbandment of the independent counsel team.

According to opinion polls, around 80 percent of South Koreans have favored Park's impeachment in the past two months or so, but 13-15 percent demanded it to be nullified.

Organizers said over 2 million people attended the rally though the square is incapable of accommodating such a high number of crowds. Local media speculations say an unspecified number of the elderly were paid tens of U.S. dollars in return for their participation.

During the rally, a war song was sung in choir, with some dressed in military uniform. Last Saturday, the fliers that read "Up with you, armed forces" and "The answer is a declaration of martial law" were clutched by some.

The old participants, who claim they are patriots, waved national flags together with the Stars and Stripes, holding banners to condemn leftist-blind followers of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) who they believe have orchestrated candlelit rallies.

Pro-U.S. and anti-DPRK propaganda had been used here by military dictators, who lacked legitimacy of their regimes. Former military strongman Park Chung-hee, the impeached leader's father, was among them.

It spawned a fake mythology that South Korea cannot protect against the DPRK's military threats without the U.S. Conservative politicians sometimes demonized the DPRK to break through domestic political difficulties.

Some lawmakers of the ruling Saenuri Party, which plans to formally change its name into the Liberty Korea Party from next week, participated in the pro-Park demonstration. Enditem