S Koreans take to streets to participate in 11th weekend candlelit vigil

SEOUL - Business as usual, hundreds of thousands of South Koreans took to the streets in central Seoul at a cold night to participate in the 11th weekend candlelit vigil.

Since a scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her longtime confidante, which led to Park's impeachment, emerged in late October, protest rallies have been held every Saturday night.

This year's first demonstration was dedicated to over 300 victims, mostly teenagers, of the Sewol ferry sinking on April 16, 2014.

Survivors and demonstrators expressed grief and sorriness for the deceased, pledging themselves to get down to bedrock after permanently removing the impeached leader from office.

On the other hand, supporters of President Park gathered in the capital city's southern district, marching towards the office of an independent counsel team tasked with investigating solely into the presidential scandal.

Park has been branded by prosecutors as a criminal accomplice, the first for a sitting South Korean president, and the team is seeking to find a smoking gun. The supporters have condemned the investigation as lop-sided.

In the pro-Park march, the participants, largely elderly voters, protested against the impeachment motion that was passed by an overwhelming majority in the parliament on Dec 9. Rallies for Park's reinstatement have been held since the passage.

According to local media reports, Park's loyalists identified themselves as "patriots" who love their homeland and held a national flag in one hand when marching on the streets.

They held a US flag in the other hand. In the past two Saturdays, the supersized Stars and Stripes was carried by the "patriotic" protestors.

Honoring the US flag and the "blood alliance" between South Korea and the United States had often been found in the past demonstrations.