SEOUL, South Korea -- Hundreds of thousands of people flooded Seoul's streets Saturday demanding the resignation of President Park Geun-hye amid a political scandal.

Police said about 260,000 people turned out for the latest rally against Park, whose presidency has been shaken by suspicion that she let a shadowy longtime confidante manipulate power from behind the scenes. Protest organizers estimated the crowd at 1 million.

Waving banners and signs, a sea of demonstrators jammed streets stretching about half a mile from City Hall to a large square in front of an old palace gate for several hours, roaring and applauding to speeches calling for Park's ouster.

Protesters also marched on a road in front of the palace gate and near the Blue House, the mountainside presidential office and residence, carrying candles, blowing horns and banging drums, while shouting "Park Geun-hye, resign!"

Bae Dong-san, a 45-year-old man, said Park's government has "worsened the living conditions of workers, completely messed up state governance and monopolized state affairs with her secret inner circle."

"It feels much better to shout together with many other people," he said.

Despite rising public anger, opposition parties have yet to seriously push for Park's resignation or impeachment over fears of triggering a backlash from conservative voters and negatively impacting next year's presidential election. However, they have threatened to campaign for Park's resignation if she doesn't distance herself from state affairs.

The protest Saturday was the largest in the capital since June 10, 2008, when police said 80,000 people took part in a candlelight vigil denouncing the government's decision to resume U.S. beef imports amid mad cow fears. Organizers estimated that crowd at 700,000. In the summer of 1987, millions rallied in Seoul and other cities for weeks before the then-military government caved in to demands for free presidential elections.

Train and express bus tickets to Seoul were difficult to get from some areas Friday evening and Saturday morning, with the protest reportedly drawing tens of thousands of people from other cities.

"I have never been interested in politics and I don't even have a TV at home ... but unbelievable things have been happening, and I came out today because I didn't want to feel defeated as a South Korean citizen," said Cho Jong-gyu, who took a five-hour bus ride from the small southern island of Geoje to participate in the rally, where he quietly held a cardboard sign calling for Park to resign.

Lee Ryeo-hwa, a Seoul resident who took her three children to the rally, the youngest of them hanging on her front in a baby carrier, said Park had to go because she "created this mess with her undemocratic leadership style and refusal to communicate."

"People said it was a bad idea to bring my kids here, but I want them to remember today ... and learn that democracies are built on participation," Lee said.

In addition to allegedly manipulating power, the president's confidante, Choi Soon-sil, the daughter of a late cult leader who emerged as Park's mentor in the 1970s, is also suspected of exploiting her presidential ties to bully companies into donating tens of millions of dollars to foundations she controlled.

In an attempt to stabilize the situation, Park said Tuesday that she would let the opposition-controlled parliament choose her prime minister. But opposition parties say her words are meaningless without specific promises about transferring much of her presidential powers to a new No. 2.

Moon Jae-in, a lawmaker from the main opposition Minjoo Party who lost to Park in the 2012 presidential election, has even demanded that Park surrender her authority to command South Korea's military.

The opposition is also demanding a separate investigation into the scandal by a special prosecutor.

Prosecutors have arrested Choi, one of her key associates and two former presidential aides who allegedly helped Choi interfere with government decisions and amass an illicit fortune at the expense of businesses.

On Saturday, prosecutors summoned a senior executive of Samsung Electronics, South Korea's largest company, which is under suspicion of spending millions of dollars illicitly financing the equestrian training of Choi's daughter. They raided the company's headquarters in southern Seoul on Tuesday.

On Friday, prosecutors summoned the chairman of POSCO over allegations that Choi and her associates tried to forcibly take over the shares of an advertising company previously owned by the steelmaker.

Under South Korea's criminal litigation law, which requires suspects to be either indicted or released within 20 days of their arrest, prosecutors have until Nov. 20 to formally charge Choi.

The president's office was taking the protests seriously and listening to the public's concerns, a spokesman said. Top aides to the president held meetings Saturday to discuss how to respond to the rally and were expected to convene Sunday.

"As people are furious about scandal, we are carefully watching the situation and trying to figure out a way to deal with it," an unnamed presidential official told the Yonhap News Agency.

Information for this article was contributed by Anna Fifield and Yoonjung Seo of The Washington Post. </s> Around 1.3 million protesters have gathered in Seoul demanding the resignation of the South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

Organizers say they expect that number to grow to 1.5 million before the end of the night despite cold weather and snow and that a further 500,000 are gathering at various protests around the country.

The huge demonstrations, which began five weeks ago, are the largest in South Korea since the pro-democracy protests in the 1980s.

Park is embroiled in a corruption scandal involving her long-time confidante Choi Soon-sil, who has been indicted on bribery charges.

Prosecutors wish to speak to the president over allegations that she colluded with Choi to offer favors to businesses that contributed money to two foundations controlled by Choi.

The president has apologized twice on national television, but has so far resisted calls to resign. “It is hard to forgive myself and sleep at night with feelings of sorrow,” Park said of the scandal.

The leader of the main opposition party described the apology as insincere.

Opposition parties are attempting to put forward a parliamentary motion to impeach Park over the alleged collusion. The motion looks set to go to a vote in early December.

As of 8pm Saturday, The Korean Times reported 1.3 million attended the largest protest in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, where activists and musicians entertained the enormous crowd.

Police said around 1,500 civic groups were involved in organizing the massive rally and that, although all previous protests have passed peacefully, 25,000 officers were required to police the event.

Earlier on Saturday, protesters marched within 200 meters of the presidential palace where Park resides, holding banners calling for her to step down.

Park was elected in 2012, and her five-year term ends in February 2018. Her father Park Chung-hee ruled South Korea from 1961, when he seized power in a military coup, until he was assassinated in 1979. He reportedly remains popular with many older Koreans, as he was in power during a period of rapid economic growth.

The current president’s approval rating, however, has fallen to as low as four percent recently – a record low for South Korea’s elected presidents. </s> This is probably the highest number of protestors ever demanding a leader to step down, in recent memory. An estimated 1.5 million hit the streets in the capital of South Korea to demand the resignation of the US puppet President Park Geun-hye.

Park has been embroiled in an influence peddling scandal akin to that of the Clinton Foundation’s false philanthropy, when her friend Choi gained privileged access to Park’s administration in favor of at least two contributors to the latter’s foundation.

The only difference is that the South Koreans are quick to respond en masse.

Choi is linked to those who are moving towards the installation of THAAD missile system, which of course include the warmongers in the US State Department and war marketers of the military industrial complex.

Corporatist Bloomberg is calling those million demonstrators as mere “agitators”…

About 260,000 people turned up for the mass rally on Saturday, police said, making it one of the biggest demonstrations in South Korea’s history. The organizers asserted that as many as 1.5 million took part in Seoul and another 400,000 elsewhere in the country. The city square echoed the sound of “step down, arrest her” as the protesters, at one point, put out the candles they were carrying only to light it up again en masse.

“She promised a better life and now I know she meant it for herself,” said Seo Sung-kyung, a 42-year-old restaurant worker, as she walked with fellow agitators. “We’ve been fooled by her. We will not make the same mistake again.”

As shown above, Bloomberg showcases the 260,000 people, but the images of the massive demonstrations wouldn’t lie, of course.

Over 1mn march in Seoul to demand President Park’s resignation

About 1.3 million protesters have gathered in Seoul to demand the resignation of scandal-plagued South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

The protest’s organizers have said they expect that number to grow to 1.5 million before the end of the night, and that a further 500,000 are gathering at various protests around the country, Reuters reports.

The huge demonstrations, which began five weeks ago, are the largest in South Korea since the pro-democracy protests in the 1980s.

Park is embroiled in a corruption scandal involving her long-time confidante Choi Soon-sil, who has been indicted on bribery charges.

Prosecutors wish to speak to the president over allegations that she colluded with Choi to offer favors to businesses that contributed money to two foundations controlled by Choi.

The president has apologized twice on national television, but has so far resisted calls to resign. “It is hard to forgive myself and sleep at night with feelings of sorrow,” Park said of the scandal.

The leader of the main opposition party described the apology as insincere.

Opposition parties are attempting to put forward a parliamentary motion to impeach Park over the alleged collusion. The motion looks set to go to a vote in early December.

As of 8pm Saturday, The Korean Times reported 1.3 million attended the largest protest in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, where activists and musicians entertained the enormous crowd.

Police said around 1,500 civic groups were involved in organizing the massive rally and that, although all previous protests have passed peacefully, 25,000 officers were required to police the event.

Earlier on Saturday, protesters marched within 200 meters of the presidential palace where Park resides, holding banners calling for her to step down.

Park was elected in 2012, and her five-year term ends in February 2018. Her father Park Chung-hee ruled South Korea from 1961, when he seized power in a military coup, until he was assassinated in 1979. He reportedly remains popular with many older Koreans, as he was in power during a period of rapid economic growth.

The current president’s approval rating, however, has fallen to as low as four percent recently – a record low for South Korea’s elected presidents.

There’s no doubt that the departure of Park will contribute to world peace, as the THAAD installation won’t be pursued anymore as the same people demanding Park’s resignation expressed strong indignation to.

On August 15 in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, 908 people sat in rows of chairs and waited for their heads to be shaved as an act of protest against the U.S.-South Korean decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in their hometown. Even Confucian scholars, who regard all parts of the human body as a gift from one’s parents and their hair as precious as their lives, sat stoically, willing to join the symbolic act against the deployment of the controversial weapons system. As the ceremony began and clumps of hair fell to the ground, onlookers gasped and even dabbed tears from their cheeks.

But the moment of anguish was brief. As soon as the ceremony concluded, everyone quietly tied their headbands behinds their heads and shouted “No THAAD!” as they headed to a demonstration.

Although some small sectors of our society would like to claim credit for the spread of unrests around the globe, demanding real changes about the structures and personalities in their governments, we continue to attribute this Great Awakening to the internet infrastructure.

Without the World Wide Web, each revolutionary would be left to his own accord and not enjoy the moral support of the rest of the world.

There are only a few who can do that, and most of them were already dead.

Aside from the fiat monetary scam and bloodsoaked petrodollar, another significant source of funds for the Nazionist Khazarian Mafiais the “healthcare” industry which registered a whopping $3.09 trillion in 2014, and is projected to soar to $3.57 trillion in 2017, in the US alone. We believe that this is just a conservative figure.

We can all help the revolution by avoiding all Khazarian pharmaceutical drugs, defeat any viral attack and scaremongering, like the Zika virus, easily by knowing how to build our own comprehensive antiviral system. Find more about how we can kill three birds with one stone, right here. </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> 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> Over one million South Koreans have taken to the streets of Seoul and other provincial cities to demand the resignation of scandal-hit President Park Geun-hye, protest organisers have claimed.

In one of the largest anti-government protests in decades, organisers said around 1.5 million people rallied in the capital Seoul on Saturday, while 400,000 people demonstrated in provincial cities.

Parents, children, university students and Buddhist monks were among those protesting for a fifth straight week, demanding that Park step down.

People beat drums and chanted "Park, get out now" as they walked towards the presidential Blue House that had been cordoned off by thousands of police.

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

Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett, reporting from Seoul, said the protest was among the largest the country had seen, and may have eclipsed the million-plus protest two weeks ago .

"If verified, this is the biggest protest in South Korean history, never mind in the course of this particular scandal," he said.

OPINION: South Korea's political morass

Park has issued public apologies over the influence-peddling scandal involving her long-time confidante Choi Soon-Sil, who has been arrested for fraud and abuse of power, but has defied repeated calls to resign.

Choi is also accused of interfering in government affairs, despite holding no official position.

The 60-year-old allegedly leveraged her relationship with Park to coerce donations from conglomerates, including SK, Lotte and Samsung, to non-profit foundations which she set up and used for personal gain.

"Park has presidential immunity while she is in office from the criminal case surrounding Choi, but the opposition is now saying they will move to impeach her next Friday or the Friday after - they will make the motion on Thursday and the vote would happen on Friday," our correspondent added.

If parliament passes the impeachment motion, Park will be suspended from official duties and replaced by the prime minister. The Constitutional Court would need to approve the impeachment.

READ MORE: Park Geun-hye: Scandal is all my fault and mistake

"Even though the Constitutional Court is deemed conservative, they would be unable to defy the people's wish to oust Park", Kang Won-Taek, a political science professor at the Seoul National University, told the AFP.

Park's approval ratings have plunged to a record low for a sitting president, as top advisers and some of South Korea's most powerful companies are caught up in the ever-widening scandal.

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.

According to the AFP, a poll this week indicated that nine out of 10 South Koreans want Park kicked out of office. </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> 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> Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions carry an effigy of South Korean President Park Geun-Hye as they march during a rally calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016. South Korean President Park Geun-hye's conditional resignation offer appears to be causing cracks in what previously had been a strong push for her impeachment, with opponents now struggling to set a date for a vote to strip her of power. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
South Koreans take to the streets en masse demanding the resignation of President Park Geun-hye amidst a corruption scandal. Around 1.5 million people rallied in the capital Seoul, while another 400,000 people demonstrated in provincial cities.