Candlelight rally against NIS held in Seoul

A large-scale candlelight rally was held in central Seoul on Saturday, with participants protesting the spy agency’s alleged meddling in the 2012 presidential election.

About 300 civic groups gathered in Seoul Plaza and called for the government to introduce a special prosecutor to investigate the National Intelligence Service’s role in the election and to sack the spy agency’s chief Nam Jae-joon and Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn.

A group consisting of liberals who fought against the military regime in the 1960s-80s also joined the rally after holding a separate protest. The group urged President Park Geun-hye to step down, saying the country’s democracy is faced with a crisis.

Organizers estimated the crowd at 2,000, but police put the number at 900.

(rene@heraldcorp.com)