Every Saturday in Korea is a sight to behold. Tens of thousands of protesters gather at Gwanghwamun square to denounce President Park Geun-hye for what they say is blatant corruption. The subways are packed with demonstrators coming and going, and it’s a media circus.
Even if you try to get away from the protests and head to peaceful tourist areas, there are throngs of protesters there too.
Cops are everywhere, and dozens of large tour buses used to transport officers are parked in a tight ring near one of the countries most frequented tourism spots, with cops in body armor on standby, some standing in formation and some sitting on portable seats, ready for action.
Even if you want to get away from the protests, it’s hard to do if you’re anywhere downtown on a Saturday, the designated time when proctors gather to chant slogans calling for Park to step down.
Park in recent weeks has come under intense fire when the public learned of her cushy relationship with an un-elected and un-appointed woman named Choi Soon-sil Choi, who holds no official office, has allegedly been privy to classified information, despite the fact that she has never been given any official security clearance and has never held a position in government. That really pisses Koreans off.
Ordinary Koreans, many of whom struggle financially to earn a living in a very expensive city, are furious. Many are angry at a system in which, they say, the nation’s leaders form an in-bred circle that dominates the country. One Korean father of two told Borderless News Online that the nation’s economy is dominated by the nation’s Chaebol, or conglomerates, which he said are staffed by employees who only know how to attend meetings and go to drinking parties. “Samsung can’t even produce a smart phone. They only know how to make one that explodes,” he said on condition of anonymity, mocking the Samsung Noke 7, which has been recalled because many of overheated and caught fire.
Rather than telling you more, we thought we’d just show you in the video above.
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