Conservative South Korea protesters gathered at Seoul Station on Saturday say they are not happy with the imprisonment of former President Park Geun-hye. Photo by Elizabeth Shim/UPI

SEOUL, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- They distrust the "tabloid media," are incensed by the sitting president and battle perceptions they stand at the margins of society.

In Seoul public squares, they voice their frustrations about a range of issues traditionally tied to conservative South Korea concerns: a ruling government too easygoing on North Korea, expensive welfare schemes, and perhaps most importantly, the abrupt ouster of former President Park Geun-hye.

Hundreds of South Korean men and women, typically in their 60s -- but some older -- have been gathering weekly in areas like Seoul Station on Saturdays, where they call for the removal of South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the release of Park, most recently sentenced to 25 years in jail.

Park was convicted of colluding with a friend, Choi Soon-sil, so Choi could receive millions of dollars from major South Korean corporations. Park did not enrich herself, but a South Korean court found her guilty of bribery and coercion.

The charges are puzzling, protesters told UPI.

"I don't know what it is Park Geun-hye did wrong that she deserves to be in prison," said Kim Hyeong-su, 65, who traveled to the Korean capital from Anyang, Gyeonggi Province. "The people currently holding positions of power in government, it appears they're using their authority to lock people up."

Last week, South Korean prosecutors said they are seeking a 20-year prison sentence for another conservative politician: former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, after indicting him on 16 counts of graft ranging from bribery to abuse of presidential power.

Kim, a private citizen who turned out to support the right-wing activists, said he is skeptical Moon is on the right track.

"I don't know whether the current president, Moon Jae-in, is doing a better job," he said. "Out of duty, you cannot unconditionally negotiate with North Korea. That's not right."

Many of the protesters, bearing the South Korea and U.S. flags to "show their support for the alliance," see the Moon administration as politically aligned with North Korean interests.

During Park's term in office, North Korea used strong language to condemn the leader, the daughter of former South Korean dictator Park Chung Hee -- calling for the "death penalty" for the "traitor Park Geun-hye" in 2017.

Cho Si-chul, a leading member of The Korean Patriots Party, told UPI his country is in the midst of a crisis. "Pro-North" leftists are to blame, he said.

"The Moon Jae-in administration is simply a left-wing regime with pro-North Korea sympathies," Cho said, as the Korean national anthem soared in the background. "That is why they acknowledge the Kim Jong Un regime."

Cho also raised concerns North Korea could get what it has advocated for decades: a so-called "Koryo Confederation System" that would eventually realize North Korea founder Kim Il Sung's vision of unification by absorption of the South.

"The Republic of Korea is a liberal, democratic market economy created according to the charter and founding ideology of the United Nations," Cho said. "Therefore, it is not compatible with the three-generation dictatorship, socialist-communist system" of North Korea.

Cho also said the Moon administration's legitimacy should be questioned, given the circumstances that brought the current president to power.

"The left-wing regime came to power because of the illegal impeachment of Park Geun-hye," the activist said, adding the South Korean "tabloid media" is ultimately responsible for a decision from the constitutional court to unilaterally vote in favor of impeachment in 2017.

"It was the press that manipulated numbers, saying as many as 2 million protesters called for impeachment, when in fact it was about 100,000 people," Cho said, referring to the candlelight rallies of 2016 and 2017. "This kind of impeachment cannot happen in a democracy."

A stark discrepancy between rally organizers' and police approximations does exist in estimates of the number of anti-Park Geun-hye protesters. On Christmas Day 2016, for example, anti-Park organizers said 700,000 protesters appeared in public, while police said the number was closer to 53,000, according to press reports at the time.

Protesters standing by Cho, wearing t-shirts that read "Rescue Park" in English, appeared to share his bitter resentment of the civic movement that swept Moon into office and landed Park in jail.

When a man walked up to a makeshift stage bearing banners calling for the removal of Moon, and said, "Where is the Republic of Korea going?" the crowd answered back: "It's going into ruin!"

The protests, involving a coalition of multiple groups, are expected to continue regularly for the remainder of the year.

They also come at a time when Moon's once skyrocketing approval rating, following his first and second summits with Kim Jong Un, is dropping dramatically.

According to a Realmeter poll on Monday, the president's support is now at 53.5 percent -- the lowest since he took office.

Moon is expected to meet again with Kim Sept. 18-20 in the capital Pyongyang. </s> Activists from the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections occupy the street in front of the Petronas Twin Towers during a rally in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, Nov. 19. Tens of thousands of Malaysians wearing yellow T-shirts and blowing horns defiantly held a major rally in the capital Saturday to demand the resignation of embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Protesters hold up candles during a rally calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down in Seoul on Saturday. For the fourth straight Saturday, masses of South Koreans filled major avenues in downtown Seoul demanding an end to the presidency of Park, who prosecutors plan to question soon over an explosive political scandal. The signs read "Park Geun-hye, Step Down." </s> SEOUL: South Korea's ousted President Park Geun-hye was arrested on Friday (Mar 31) over the corruption and abuse of power scandal that brought her down, a court spokesman said.

The Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant to arrest Park on charges of bribery, abuse of authority, coercion, and leaking government secrets, after a marathon court hearing the previous day. </s> SEOUL — South Korean President Park Geun-hye faced mounting pressure to step down on Saturday as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched in the capital to protest allegations that she let a friend meddle in state affairs.

Saturday's rally in downtown Seoul was the largest so far in a crisis engulfing Park, 64, and organisers said some 850,000 people packed streets running through the city centre including a 12-lane thoroughfare. Police estimated the crowd at 260,000.

Students, families including young couples pushing strollers and protesters in wheelchairs were among the crowd during the peaceful march, which contrasted with the violence of some previous rallies dominated by militant unions and civic groups that clashed with police.

One man travelled seven hours from the southern town of Gimhae to join the rally demanding Park step down a year before her mandate is due to end.

"Park Geun-hye! Today! Step down! Immediately! Step down! Now!" protesters chanted a few hundred metres from the presidential Blue House.

"I'm here so that this country will be a better place for my daughters," said Park Min-hee, 34, a housewife who was at the rally with her two young daughters and her husband's parents. "Park Geun-hye did wrong. She must step down right now."

It was the third weekend protest rally since Park's first public apology on October 25 when she admitted she had sought the advice of her friend, Choi Soon-sil.

Park's acknowledgement only served to fuel public anger and suspicion over the secret confidant, who apparently held no official government position.

Another apology by Park and an offer to work with the parliamentary opposition to form a new Cabinet and relinquish some power also failed to quell the crisis, prompting opponents to say she did not grasp its severity.

Park has dismissed some of her most senior and closest advisers, and former aides have been arrested on charges of abuse of power. Choi, the friend who is believed to have been acquainted with the president since the 1970s, has been charged with abuse of power and fraud.

Members of main opposition parties joined Saturday's rally, suggesting there is growing support in parliament for action to remove her from power, although there was no formal move yet to launch impeachment proceedings.

No South Korean president has ever failed to finish their five-year term.

Park's approval rating has dropped to 5 per cent for a second week, according to a poll conducted by Gallup Korea and released on Friday, the lowest number for a South Korean president since such polling began under democratically elected leaders in 1988.

Gallup Korea, based in Seoul, is not affiliated with US-based Gallup, Inc., the American firm said.

Park is the daughter of Park Chung-hee who took power in a 1961 military coup and ruled until he was assassinated by his disgruntled spy chief in 1979, five years after his wife was shot dead in the head by a killer who meant to shoot him. </s> SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – The Latest on South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s removal from office Friday by the Constitutional Court (all times local):

6:30 p.m. – South Korean police and hospital officials say about 30 protesters and police officers have been hurt in violent clashes near Seoul’s Constitutional Court following a ruling that ousted Park Geun-hye as president over a corruption scandal.

Two men believed to be protesters died on Friday as Park’s supporters angrily reacted to the ruling, hitting police officers and reporters and climbing on police buses used to create a perimeter to protect the court. Police say protesters also smashed the windows of several buses.

An official from Inje University Paik Hospital says about 20 protesters are being treated for injuries from the rallies. An official from Kangbuk Samsung Hospital says it’s also treating injured protesters, but couldn’t say how many.

An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency says seven officers are also being treated for mostly minor injuries.

5:35 p.m. – South Korea’s acting head of state has pleaded with opponents and supporters of ousted President Park Geun-hye to stop their fierce rallies that have divided the streets of capital Seoul.

The comments by Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Friday came hours after two men died amid clashes between Park’s supporters and police following the Constitutional Court’s ruling to formally remove her from office.

In a televised speech, Hwang says “there would be people who feel they cannot understand or accept (the court ruling), but it’s now time to move on and end all conflict and standoff.”

He adds: “It’s not ideal to expand the conflict by continuing the protests outside on the streets … Precious lives were lost during the rallies today, and this must no longer happen.”

Hwang has served as the government caretaker since lawmakers voted to impeach Park in December.

3:45 p.m. – South Korea’s presidential office says Park Geun-hye won’t leave the presidential Blue House on Friday after the constitutional court stripped her of her powers over a corruption scandal.

A Blue House spokesman says some of Park’s aides are at her southern Seoul home to prepare for her return, but it hasn’t been determined exactly when she will leave the Blue House.

The spokesman says Park has no plans to issue a statement over the ruling on Friday.

3:20 p.m. – South Korea’s acting head of state says he feels “heavy responsibility” after the Constitutional Court formally removed Park Geun-hye as president over a corruption scandal.

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn has been the government caretaker since lawmakers voted to impeach Park in December. He said Friday in a meeting with Cabinet ministers that the government needs to focus on maintaining defense and economic stability while preparing for a presidential by-election that must be held within 60 days.

Hwang also instructed the Justice Ministry and police to prepare for the possibility of violent protests following the ruling.

2:40 p.m. – South Korean netizens are seeing a South Korean judge’s hair rollers as a symbol of dedication and hard-working women on the day that the court that the judge leads dismissed the president from office.

Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi arrived at the Constitutional Court earlier Friday with two pink hair rollers attached to the back of her bobbed hair.

Pictures of her profile showing the round curlers as the justice walked to her office, apparently unaware, went viral.

Some South Koreans saw the apparent mistake as a sign of Lee’s dedication to her work. Some linked it to President Park Geun-hye, who summoned her hair stylist to work hours after a deadly ferry sinking.

Lee, 54, is the sole female among eight judges on the Constitutional Court.

2:30 p.m. – South Korean police say a second person has died in protests against a court’s decision to remove President Park Geun-hye from office.

Police had no other details about the death Friday. Hospital official earlier said that another person, a man in his 70s, died from head wounds after falling from a police bus in front of the Constitutional Court after it ruled to oust Park.

The official said the man, believed to be a Park supporter, was bleeding heavily when he arrived at the office and died at around 1:50 p.m.

Thousands of Park’s supporters angrily reacted to the verdict, shouting and hitting police officers with flag poles and climbing on buses the police used to create a perimeter protecting the court.

2:25 p.m. – South Korea’s defense minister has ordered the military to be on alert for possible North Korean provocations attempting to exploit “unstable situations at home and abroad.”

In a video conference on Friday with military commanders, Defense Minister Han Min Koo said North Korea can make “strategic or operational” provocations at any time. The North has test-fired ballistic missiles in recent weeks.

North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency has published a short dispatch on the court ruling in Seoul, anticipating that Park will now come under investigation as a “regular criminal.”

The party of ousted South Korean President Park Geun-hye, meanwhile, says it “humbly accepts” the ruling by the Constitutional Court to remove Park from office and that it feels responsible for her downfall.

2:10 p.m. – A South Korean hospital official says that a man in his 70s died from head wounds after falling from a police bus in front of the Constitutional Court after it ruled to remove President Park Geun-hye from office.

The official said Friday that the man, believed to be a Park supporter, was bleeding heavily when he arrived at the hospital and died at about 1:50 p.m.

Thousands of Park’s supporters have angrily reacted to the verdict, shouting and hitting police officers with flag poles, and climbing on buses the police used to create a perimeter protecting the court.

1:55 p.m. – Japan’s top diplomat says it will continue to work with a South Korean government led by the successor of ousted President Park Geun-hye.

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters Friday that he would not comment on the court ruling that removed the impeached president, citing internal politics.

Kishida says both countries must work on the “comfort women” dispute that has strained their relations for decades. He says he hopes Tokyo and South Korea’s new government can implement a 2015 agreement they signed to fully resolve the impasse over sexual exploitation of the women by Japan for its troops before and during World War II.

Kishida says Japan has no immediate plan to send back the ambassador it temporarily recalled to protest a “comfort woman” statue built outside of its consulate in the South Korean city of Busan.

11:55 a.m. – The United States says the removal of South Korean President Park Geun-hye is a domestic issue that doesn’t affect its strong alliance with the country.

The Constitutional Court formally removed the impeached Park from office Friday over a corruption scandal.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner says the U.S. will continue to work with the acting president, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, and looks forward to whomever South Koreans choose in a presidential election to be held within two months.

Toner says Park’s removal is “a domestic issue on which the United States takes no position,” and that it’s up to the South Korean people to determine their country’s future.

He says the two nations’ alliance “will continue to be a linchpin of regional stability and security.” </s> Ousted South Korean president Park Geun-Hye was arrested in the early hours of Friday, on charges of bribery, abuse of authority, coercion, and leaking government secrets. After a long hearing on Thursday, a court had said, “It is justifiable and necessary to arrest (Park) as key charges were justified and there is risk of evidence being destroyed.”

She was taken to a detention centre near Seoul, AFP reported.

A spokesperson for the Democratic Party’s leading presidential contender Moon Jae-in praised the arrest, calling it the first step to rebuilding a collapsed nation, The Korean Herald reported. Park’s own party, the Liberty Korea Party, however, said her arrest was “truly regrettable”. In a statement, they hoped that such a “painful history” won’t repeat itself.

Park is the first democratically elected leader to be ousted from office in South Korea. On December 9, the South Korean Parliament had impeached her.

The former president was accused of colluding with Choi Soon-sil, a long-time friend and confidante, to extort money in the form of donations from South Korean companies. The money, which was transferred to non-profit foundations controlled by Choi, was allegedly used for personal gains.

Park had also been accused of ordering her aides to leak official state documents to Choi, who has no official position in the South Korean government. There had been large scale protests demanding her removal as president. </s> South Korean President Park Geun-hye is facing increasing pressure to resign as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators join nationwide protests over corruption claims.

In what is believed to be one of the largest demonstrations so far over the allegations engulfing Ms Park, organisers said 1.3 million protesters filled the streets in the capital of Seoul on Saturday evening, with 1.5 million estimated to join by the end of the night.

Some 500,000 people are expected to turn out in other regions. Police put the number of participants in Seoul at 260,000.

The demonstrations mark the fifth straight weekend of protests in the country and are among the largest seen in South Korea since the pro-democracy protests of the 1980s.

Farmers, university students and Buddhist monks were among the demonstrators, who beat drums and chanted "Park get out now", as they marched towards the Presidential Blue House, which had been cordoned over by 24,000 police.

The president is bracing for an impeachment push by opposition parties and some members of her own Saenuri Party amid allegations she let her long-time confidante Choi Soon-Sil, who has been arrested for fraud and abuse of power, influence government affairs and amass an illicit fortune despite holding no official position - a scandal critics say undermines the country's democracy.

Sixty-year-old Ms Choi allegedly used her relationship with Ms Park to drive donations from conglomerates, including SK, Lotte and Samsung, to non-profit foundations, which she set up and used for personal gain.

Ms Park has issued two public apologies over the scandal, which have only served to fuel public anger and suspicion, but has resisted repeated calls to resign.

She has promised to submit herself to an expanding probe by prosecutors as well as a separate investigation by an independent special prosecutor to be appointed by parliament.

The headquarters of SK, Lotte and Samsung were raided by state prosecutors this week along with the offices of the finance ministry and state pension fund.

At the rally in Seoul, protesters wearing raincoats and armed with umbrellas against the cold, wet weather, waved placards and lit candles as night descended.

Buddhist monks wearing grey robes recited a sutra while other protestors imitated Ms Park, Ms Choi and Samsung scion Lee Jae-Yong being led into prison.

"I don't think Park would step down voluntarily, but we need to raise our voice as much as possible to encourage parliament to push through with its move to impeach her," Lee Sung-Cheol a 23-year-old student told AFP.

"I came here because I wanted to show my children that people are the owner of this country, not the power holders," Shim Ku-Il, a 47-year-old company employee said.

Kwak Bo-youn, 45, said: "I was watching the news and thought this cannot go on - people really want her to step down but she hasn't. This is the second time for me to the protests, but the first time for my husband and kids".

Ms Park's approval ratings have plummeted since the allegations emerged. After hovering at just five per cent for three consecutive weeks her approval rating dipped one percentage point on Friday.

According to a poll by Gallup Korea, her disapproval rating has risen three percentage points to 93 per cent. Her lowest approval rating is among young people, with 99 per cent of 19 to 29 year-olds disapproving of the president.

A parliamentary vote to impeach Ms Park, whose five year term ends in February 2018, could take place as early as next week as an increasing number of ruling party politicians back the opposition-led campaign to remove her from office.

If parliament passes the impeachment motion, Ms Park would be suspended from official duties and replaced by the prime minister. The Constitutional Court would need to approve the impeachment. </s> SEOUL, South Korea | Tens of thousands of South Koreans poured into the streets of downtown Seoul on Saturday, using words including “treason” and “criminal” to demand that President Park Geun-hye step down amid an explosive political scandal.

The protest, the largest anti-government demonstration in the capital in nearly a year, came a day after Park apologized on live television amid rising suspicion that she allowed a mysterious confidante to manipulate power from the shadows.

Holding banners, candles and colorful signs that read “Park Geun-hye out” and “Treason by a secret government,” a sea of demonstrators filled a large square in front of an old palace gate and the nearby streets, singing and thunderously applauding speeches calling for the ouster of the increasingly unpopular president.

South Korean high school students stage a rally calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. Tens of thousands of South Koreans are expected to march in Seoul to demand President Park Geun-hye's resignation on Saturday, a day after she took blame for a "heartbreaking" scandal and rising suspicion that she allowed a mysterious confidante to manipulate power from the shadows. The letters read "Park Geun-hye should step down." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) South Korean high school students hold up their cards during a rally calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. Tens of thousands of South Koreans are expected to march in Seoul to demand President Park Geun-hye's resignation on Saturday, a day after she took blame for a "heartbreaking" scandal and rising suspicion that she allowed a mysterious confidante to manipulate power from the shadows. The signs read "Park Geun-hye should step down." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) A South Korean protester holds a flag during a rally calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. Tens of thousands of South Koreans are expected to march in Seoul to demand Park's resignation on Saturday, a day after she took blame for a "heartbreaking" scandal and rising suspicion that she allowed a mysterious confidante to manipulate power from the shadows. The signs read "Park Geun-hye should step down." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) South Korean high school students march toward the presidential house after a rally calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. Tens of thousands of South Koreans are expected to march in Seoul to demand Park's resignation on Saturday, a day after she took blame for a "heartbreaking" scandal and rising suspicion that she allowed a mysterious confidante to manipulate power from the shadows. The signs read "Park Geun-hye should step down." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) South Korean protesters stage a rally calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. Tens of thousands of South Koreans are expected to march in Seoul to demand Park's resignation on Saturday, a day after she took blame for a "heartbreaking" scandal and rising suspicion that she allowed a mysterious confidante to manipulate power from the shadows. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) South Korean protesters stage a rally calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. Tens of thousands of South Koreans poured into the streets of downtown Seoul on Saturday, using words including "treason" and "criminal" to demand that President Park Geun-hye step down amid an explosive political scandal. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) South Korean protesters shout slogans during a rally calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. Tens of thousands of South Koreans poured into the streets of downtown Seoul on Saturday, using words including "treason" and "criminal" to demand that Park step down amid an explosive political scandal. The signs read "Park Geun-hye should step down." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) South Korean protesters shout slogans as they march after a rally calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. Tens of thousands of South Koreans poured into the streets of downtown Seoul on Saturday, using words including "treason" and "criminal" to demand that Park step down amid an explosive political scandal. The signs read "Park Geun-hye should step down." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

They then shifted into a slow march in streets around City Hall, shouting “Arrest Park Geun-hye,” ”Step down, criminal” and “We can’t take this any longer,” before moving back to the square and cheering on more speeches that continued into the night.

“Park should squarely face the prosecution’s investigation and step down herself. If she doesn’t, politicians should move to impeach her,” said Kim Seo-yeon, one of the many college students who participated in the protest.

“She absolutely lost all authority as president over the past few weeks,” he said.

Earlier in the week, prosecutors arrested Choi Soon-sil, the daughter of a late cult leader and a longtime friend of Park, and detained two former presidential aides over allegations that they pressured businesses into giving $70 million to two foundations Choi controlled.

There are also allegations that Choi, despite having no government job, regularly received classified information and meddled in various state affairs, including the appointment of ministers and policy decisions.

“I came out today because this is not the country I want to pass on to my children,” said another demonstrator, Choi Kyung-ha, a mother of three. “My kids have asked me who Choi Soon-sil was and whether she’s the real president, and I couldn’t provide an answer.”

Choi Tae-poong, a 57-year-old retiree, said he came out to protest because he thought the situation had reached a point where “no more patience is allowed.”

“I cannot bear this anymore,” he said.

Police estimated the crowd at 45,000, although protest organizers said about 200,000 people turned out.

Police used dozens of buses and trucks to create tight perimeters in streets around the square in front of the palace gate to close off paths to the presidential office and residence. Thousands of officers dressed in fluorescent yellow jackets and full riot gear stood in front of and between the vehicles as they closely monitored the protesters.

Smaller protests have taken place in the past few weeks in Seoul and other cities amid growing calls for Park to step down. While several politicians have individually called for Park’s ouster, opposition parties have yet to attempt a serious push for her resignation or impeachment in fear of negatively impacting next year’s presidential election.

“How many more astonishing things must happen before this country changes for the better?” said Park Won-soon, the opposition mayor of Seoul and a potential presidential candidate, vowing to push for the president’s resignation.

President Park has tried to stabilize the situation by firing eight aides and nominating three new top Cabinet officials, including the prime minister, but opposition parties have described her personnel reshuffles as a diversionary tactic.

One national poll released Friday had Park’s approval rating at 5 percent, the lowest for any president in South Korea since the country achieved democracy in the late 1980s following decades of military dictatorship.

In Friday’s televised apology, Park commented on the corruption allegations surrounding Choi and her former aides and vowed to accept a direct investigation into her actions, but avoided the more damning allegation that Choi perhaps had interfered with important government decisions on policy and personnel.

Opposition parties, sensing weakness, immediately threatened to push for her ouster if she doesn’t distance herself from domestic affairs and transfer the duties to a prime minister chosen by parliament. The parties have also called for a separate investigation into the scandal led by a special prosecutor.

Park has 15 months left in her term. If she resigns before the end of it, South Korean laws require the country to hold an election to pick a new president within 60 days. </s> Protesters hold signs that read "Arrest Park Geun-hye" and "Park Geun-hye to step down" as they march toward the presidential house during a rally in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016.

SEOUL, South Korea — The previous time South Korea's parliament voted to impeach a president, ruling party lawmakers bawled and hurled ballot boxes, a man set himself on fire in front of the National Assembly, and thousands glumly held candlelight vigils night after night to save late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun.

Twelve years later, the mood couldn't have been more different, with massive crowds returning to Seoul's streets on Saturday, a day after lawmakers voted in favor of removing disgraced President Park Geun-hye. The vote for impeachment left protesters basking in pride, believing that they had repaired a damaged democracy with their weekly demonstrations.

Thousands of people marched near streets close to the presidential palace where the notoriously aloof Park will remain mostly alone for up to six months until the Constitutional Court rules whether she must step down permanently.

Carrying signs, flags and yellow balloons, they gleefully shouted for her to quit immediately rather than weather the court process.

The demonstrators waved their arms to the beat of gongs and drums and followed an effigy of Park dressed in prison clothes and tied with rope into a narrow alley near the presidential offices and residence, known as the Blue House.

"Park Geun-hye, get out of the house! Get out of the house now!" the marchers chanted.

"Come down and go to jail!"

Seemingly, tens of thousands of demonstrators packed a large nearby boulevard, which was the center of massive protests in recent weeks.

"We got off to a good first step (on Friday). It was a day when we all realized how strong we can collectively be," said Kim Hye-in, 51, an out-of-towner who spent her sixth consecutive Saturday in Seoul protesting against Park. "But we aren't there just yet. We need to keep gathering strength and protest until the court officially removes her from office."

On Friday, the opposition-controlled parliament passed an impeachment motion against Park, which stripped her of her presidential duties and pushed Prime Minster Hwang Kyo-ahn into the role as government caretaker until the court rules on Park's fate.

The impeachment came after millions of people demonstrated for weeks demanding the removal of Park, who state prosecutors accuse of colluding with a longtime friend to extort money and favors from South Korea's biggest companies and to give that confidante extraordinary sway over government decisions. Park has apologized for putting trust into her friend, Choi Soon-sil, but has denied any legal wrongdoing.

In 2004, the Constitutional Court reinstated Roh after two months, saying that minor election law violations and accusations of incompetence weren't enough to justify his unseating as president. The chances of the court restoring Park's powers are considered low because her charges are much graver, although some believe the court will need more than a couple of months to decide because her case is more complicated than Roh's.

Park will be formally removed from office if at least six of the court's nine justices support her impeachment, and the country would then hold a presidential election within 60 days.

While the historically large protests that helped push lawmakers to vote to impeach Park have been peaceful, the festive atmosphere kicked up a notch on Saturday as demonstrators let out relief that the president they so desperately want removed was finally halfway out the door.

"We accomplished a peaceful revolution," said Park Seong-su, a frequent anti-Park protester who faces a court trial for throwing what he said was dog feces at a Seoul prosecution office on Oct. 31 as Choi, Park's now arrested longtime friend, arrived for questioning.

"For long, people were told by politicians what to do, but on Friday, it was the will of people that forced politicians what to do."

Others weren't as comfortable, saying that protesters should continue to rally every weekend to apply pressure on the court until it decides to formally remove the president.

Kim Hyeong-seok, another protester, said that the weekly rallies may turn violent if the court decides to reinstate Park.

"Then the candles will turn into torches," he said.

There was tension Saturday hours before the large demonstration when thousands of Park supporters, most of them in their 60s or older, rallied in nearby streets, waving the country's flags and shouting for Park's "demagoguery impeachment" to be nullified.

Some of them exchanged bitter diatribes with anti-Park protesters.

Similar scenes played out on Friday when scuffles broke out between angry anti-Park farmers, some of whom had driven tractors to the National Assembly, and police. When the impeachment happened, many of those gathered — some 10,000, according to organizers — raised their hands in the air and leapt about, cheering and laughing.

On Saturday, Hwang, as the acting president, held a meeting with Cabinet ministers at a government building near the presidential Blue House to discuss issues related to national security, foreign relations and financial markets.

The handover of power prompted the prime minister on Friday to order South Korea's defense minister to put the military on a state of heightened readiness to brace for any potential provocation by North Korea. No suspicious movements by the North were reported.

The impeachment is a remarkable fall for Park, who convincingly beat her liberal opponent in 2012. Park's single, five-year term was originally set to end Feb. 24, 2018.

The political turmoil around Park comes after years of frustration over a leadership style that inspired comparisons to her father, slain military dictator Park Chung-hee.

Critics saw in Park an unwillingness to tolerate dissent as her government cracked down on press freedom, pushed to dissolve a leftist party and allowed aggressive police suppression of anti-government protests, which saw the death of an activist in September.

She also was heavily criticized over her government's handling of a 2014 ferry sinking that killed more than 300 people, mostly school students, and was partially blamed on official incompetence and corruption.
Conservative South Korean protesters at the Seoul station call for the release of imprisoned former President Park Geun-hye.