Protesters Urge Scandal-hit S. Korea President To Quit

SEOUL, Nov 5, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 05th Nov, 2016 ) - Thousands of South Koreans took to the streets Saturday to demand embattled President Park Geun-Hye resign over a crippling corruption scandal.

Protesters chanted slogans and carried banners urging Park to step down, the day after she issued a grovelling televised apology over the influence-peddling affair which has shattered public trust in her leadership.

Some 40,000 demonstrators were expected to turn out at the rally in central Seoul, watched over by 20,000 police officers. Police had banned protesters from marching through the streets, citing traffic congestion, but thousands were permitted to gather.

But authorities were braced for demonstrators trying to make their way towards the presidential Blue House. In a highly personal televised address to the nation Friday, Park said the scandal involving her long-time confidante Choi Soon-Sil was "all my fault", but denied reports linking her and Choi to a religious cult.

Park's approval rating crashed to just five percent this week, the lowest-ever rating for a sitting South Korean president. "I thinks she should step down as she has lost all her moral authority as president", a 53-year-old, who gave only his family name Ahn, told AFP.