Opposition parties and civic groups are set to take to the streets in central Seoul on Saturday, calling for the Constitutional Court’s swift decision on the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, while a counter-campaign among conservative, pro-Park protesters continues to grow. 

The 15th weekend rally comes amid souring public sentiment toward the president, who refused to undergo questioning by the independent counsel looking into the scandal this week and appeared to delay the court proceedings in her impeachment trial.

Amid concerns the impeachment could be overruled, liberal presidential hopefuls plan to join the rally, including front-runner Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea, South Chungcheong Gov. An Hee-jung and Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung.
The leadership of the progressive splinter People’s Party, including its chief Park Jie-won, are also set to attend the rally. The party’s presidential aspirant Ahn Cheol-soo will not join the move, saying it is not desirable for the political realm to pressure the court. 

The rally’s messages will center on demanding the Constitutional Court make a ruling on whether to unseat or reinstate the president before its acting Chief Justice Lee Jung-mi’s term ends on March 13. They will also urge acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn to agree to extend the Independent Counsel’s probe, set to expire Feb. 28, by a month.
There have been concerns about a possible delay in the court’s verdict after the top court added three more hearings extending through Feb. 22. 

The court now has one of its nine judge seats vacant, following ex-Chief Justice Park Han-chul’s retirement on Jan. 31. The president’s ouster requires the endorsement of at least six of the remaining eight judges. After Lee’s tem ends, Park would only need two justices on her side to avoid removal from office. 

The anti-Park rally organizers -- an association of labor unions and civic organizations -- expect about 1 million people to turn up in Gwanghwamun Square for the rally scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. 

On Friday, they will begin a 30-hour march across Seoul from the independent counsel’s office through the Samsung headquarters in southern Seoul to the National Assembly building in western Seoul in the run-up to the main rally Saturday.

Park loyalists, including Saenuri Party lawmakers Rep. Kim Jin-tae and former Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Moon-soo, plan to stage a counter rally in front of City Hall, calling on the court to nullify the impeachment. They have argued that President Park was framed in the politically motivated scandal based on fabricated evidence.

Criticizing the opposition parties for “pressuring” the court, Rep. Chung Woo-taik, the floor leader of the Saenuri Party said in the emergency meeting Friday, “Those who put pressure on the Constitutional Court for their own political agendas have no right to lead this country.”

Rep. Choo Mi-ae, chief of the largest opposition Democratic Party of Korea, shot back in the party’s meeting in the day: “How can the pressure on her be pressure on the court? Park should stop employing the delaying tactic and cooperate with the impeachment trial.”

According to a survey of 1,007 adults conducted from Feb. 7 to 9 by Gallup Korea, 79 percent of respondents back the impeachment of President Park.

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