South Korean President Park Geun-hye faces mounting calls to step down with a massive rally criticising her as unfit to rule over allegations she allowed a friend to meddle in state affairs and wield influence.
Saturday's protest in downtown Seoul drew more than half a million people, according to its organisers, many of whom were ordinary citizens who packed the main streets running through the city centre including a 12-lane thoroughfare.
They came with family, and students and young parents pushing strollers were among the crowd as were people in wheelchairs and crutches.
It was a sharp contrast to previous rallies dominated by militant unions and civic groups that turned violent and clashed with police.
They chanted "Step down, step down, you must step down."
"Of course she must step down," Jung Sun-hee, a 42-year-old homemaker who attended with her husband and two pre-teen daughters, said. "I believe we need a new person to break through this situation, who will be better than this one."
The crowd has been given a go-ahead by a court to march later in the evening to within a few blocks of the presidential Blue House compound, which had been previously disallowed by the police, citing security reasons.
It was the third weekend protest rally since Park's first public apology on October 25 where she admitted she had sought the advice of her friend, Choi Soon-sil, which only fuelled public anger and suspicion over the secret confidant who apparently held no official government position.
Another apology by Park and an offer to work with the parliamentary opposition to form a new cabinet and relinquish some power failed to calm public anger.
Members of main opposition parties joined the rally calling on Park to resign, indicating there was a growing opinion in parliament to take action to remove her from power.
Park's approval rating has dropped to 5 per cent for a second week, according to a poll conducted by Gallup Korea and released on Friday, the lowest number for a South Korean president since such polling began under democratically elected leaders in 1988.
No South Korean president has ever failed to finish their five-year term but Park has faced growing pressure from the public and political opponents to quit.
