Opponents of South Korea's ousted leader, Park Geun-hye, demanded on Saturday that she be arrested a day after she was thrown out of office over a corruption scandal involving the country's conglomerates. Park's critics said they would rally in central Seoul, where they have been gathering every weekend for months, while the former president's conservative supporters also planned protests, raising the risk of confrontation.
The Constitutional Court ruling on Friday to uphold a parliamentary vote to impeach Park infuriated hundreds of her supporters, two of whom were killed as they tried to break through police lines outside the court. A third man, a 74-year-old, had a heart attack and died on Saturday, a hospital said. Protesters were setting up a stage beside a major avenue in central Seoul early on Saturday, and groups of police were on the streets, but the situation was calm.
"We demand the arrest of Park Geun-hye and the resignation of acting president Hwang Kyo-ahn," said Choi In-sook, a spokeswoman for protesters opposed to Park, told Reuters. Prime Minister Hwang, a Park loyalist, became acting president when parliament voted to impeach her on Dec. 9. Hwang called for calm on Friday and promised that a snap presidential election, which has to be held within 60 days, would be smooth.