MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2016 - For a second consecutive weekend, downtown Seoul was jam packed with angry citizens taking to the streets to demonstrate against current South Korean leader Park Geun-hye, despite her public apology earlier on in the week. Police put the number of protesters at 260,000, while organizers and other sources put the figure closer to one million in what was the largest protest movement in decades, possibly even surpassing the Democracy Movement demonstrations of 1987.

President Park is accused of allowing her personal relationship with Choi Soon-sil to interfere in her running of the country, including giving Choi access to high-level government documents without the correct security clearance. In addition, it is believed that Choi used her relationship with Park to extort millions of dollars from Korean companies, an accusation that led to prosecutors arresting Choi last week on charges of abuse of power and attempted fraud. While Park has yet to face any charges, two officials from her office are currently under investigation, with many calling for a full investigation into the president herself.

People started gathering in the capital just after midday on Saturday before marching through central Seoul to take up positions around City Hall and Gyeongbokgung Palace, just a few hundred meters from the presidential residence. The protests were largely peaceful with citizens, including families and young children, holding candles and chanting anti-Park slogans late into the night; live music and speeches seemed to keep the spirits high despite the serious calls for the president to step down. It was not only Seoul that saw demonstrations; organizers believe that 35,000 people in Busan, 10,000 in Gwangju, 4,000 in Daegu and 5,000 on Jeju Island also took to the streets. They say they will continue to hold candlelit marches every Saturday until President Park resigns.

*Report by Matthew Fennell, Asia Society Korea's Contributing Writer