Anti-Park rally organizers declare disbandment

With President Moon Jae-in now in office, an association of civic groups that were at the forefront of the movement to remove the former president from power formally declared its disbandment Wednesday.

“We declare disbandment because we completed our mission and role to oust former President Park Geun-hye,” said the civic groups at a press briefing held in central Seoul.

Named “The Action for Park Geun-hye’s Ouster,” the association of 1,500 civic organizations led massive street protests after the corruption scandal involving Park surfaced in late October. 

Over six months, the peaceful rallies drew a cumulative number of 17 million people, calling for Park’s ouster. The rallies pressured the parliament to impeach Park on Dec. 9, which was later upheld by the Constitutional Court in a unanimous decision on March 10.

At the height of the corruption scandal on Dec. 3, about 2.3 million people, according to the rally organizers, took to the streets of central Seoul to demand Park step down. It was the biggest protest in the nation’s history.

Hailing it as a people’s revolution and victory, they called on the public to continue to take interest and make efforts to restore democracy, making Korea a better society for all.

“We return to our posts, but this is not the end. This is the beginning,” they said.

“Eradicating deep-rooted evil and reforming society is the order and demand of the ‘candle citizens,’ which should not be given up or compromised.”

The association announced a list of 100 tasks to be tackled in 10 sectors including politics, the election system, public security, the media, labor rights, gender equality and chaebol reform.

In partnership with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, it plans to publish a white paper which will include photos, videos, art works, placards and other items to share the memories of the peaceful rallies with the public.

The publication will be funded through the donations raised between Oct. 29 and May 12. The association has used 3.9 billion won ($3.46 million) so far to arrange the candlelight vigils and will spend the rest -- 775 million won -- on publishing the white paper.

The association said it will release the white paper during a cultural event to mark the first anniversary of the candlelight vigil, scheduled for November.

The Seoul Government plans to have key figures who led the candlelight vigils nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for being a role model for other troubled democracies next January.

The municipality is also set to seek to register the candlelight vigils with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for their global significance, by 2020, it said.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)