Supporters of South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who has been impeached over a corruption scandal, rallied on Saturday for her reinstatement, countering weeks of large protests calling on her to step down immediately.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters have thronged the streets of Seoul on recent weekends, demanding her resignation over the influence-peddling scandal involving a close friend.
Park's presidential powers have been suspended since a December 9 impeachment vote in parliament was passed by a wide margin, which set the stage for her to become South Korea's first elected leader to be thrown out of office. The Constitutional Court must first uphold the motion.
Park, 64, is accused of colluding with long-time friend Choi Soon-sil, who has been indicted and is in custody, to pressure big businesses to make contributions to non-profit foundations backing presidential initiatives.
Saturday's pro-Park rally near the court a few blocks from the presidential Blue House drew largely older people who said those behind the movement to oust her were misguided.
"The people who love this country have come out to save the country despite the hardship," Kim Ku-ja, 69, said with the national flag draped over her.
She blamed the media for fuelling anti-Park sentiment, focusing their coverage too much on the views of younger and liberal voters and on criticism that Park received cosmetic procedures while in office.
"What's so wrong about a woman getting Botox shots? Why is that a problem?" Kim said.
Park's supporters have been in the minority in the weeks of protests demanding her removal, with huge rallies over seven straight weekends packing the streets of downtown Seoul.
However, Park has resisted the push and indicated she would not step down, fuelling concern that the political crisis could drag on for months.
She has denied wrongdoing but apologised for carelessness in her ties with Choi.
Organisers said the mass rally would march on the Constitutional Court whose nine justices are considering the validity of the impeachment bill passed by the national assembly more than a week ago.
The court has 180 days to make a ruling, but the protesters are pressing for a swift judgement.
Although Park has been stripped of her substantial executive powers, she is allowed to retain the title of president and continue to live in the presidential Blue House while the court deliberates.
The protesters are adamant that she should resign immediately and face criminal prosecution.
But Park still has her supporters, many of them elderly voters who remain steadfast admirers of her father, the late military dictator Park Chung-Hee -- credited as the architect of the South's economic transformation but vilified as an authoritarian rights abuser.
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South Koreans rally to support president Park
Flags and roses
Several thousand Park loyalists attended their own rally near the court earlier in the day to demand the impeachment bill be thrown out.
Waving national flags and clutching red roses they carried banners denouncing the anti-Park protests as a leftist conspiracy.
On Friday, Park's legal team formally submitted a 24-page rebuttal of the impeachment charges to the court, arguing that they had no legal basis.
"We can't accept that there was any violation of the constitution by the president... the impeachment motion should be rejected," one of her lawyers, Lee Joong-Hwan, told reporters.
Park was impeached on numerous counts of constitutional and criminal violations ranging from a failure to protect people's lives to bribery and abuse of power.
Most of the charges stemmed from an investigation into a scandal involving the president's long-time friend, Choi Soon-Sil, who is currently awaiting trial for fraud and embezzlement.
Prosecutors named Park a suspect in the case -- a first for a sitting president -- saying she colluded in Choi's efforts to strong-arm donations from large companies worth tens of millions of dollars.
Public outrage
The impeachment process was ignited and fuelled by public outrage at Park's behaviour, with the weekly mass demonstrations demanding that politicians take a proactive role in removing her from the presidential Blue House.
The National Assembly has played its part, but the country now faces a lengthy period of uncertainty at a time of slowing economic growth and elevated military tensions with nuclear-armed North Korea.
The man charged with steering the country through these dangerous waters is a former prosecutor who has never held elected office.
As Park's prime minister, Hwang Kyo-Ahn became the temporary guardian of her sweeping executive powers the moment after she was impeached.
The protesters have called on him to resign as well, arguing that he is too tainted by his association with the president to wield her authority.
The mass rallies, some of which drew crowds of more than one million people, have been passionate but good-natured so far, with no clashes despite a heavy police presence.
Ban addresses South Korea presidency bid speculation
Outgoing UN chief Ban Ki-moon has addressed rumours that he aspires to become the next president of South Korea, saying he would "consider seriously" what role to play in his home country.
At his last press conference at the UN after ten years at the helm, Ban said he would ponder his next steps only after finishing his term on December 31.
Speculation has swirled for months that Ban could run for president of South Korea, where current President Park Geun-hye was impeached by lawmakers this month for her role in a corruption scandal that has rocked the country.
"I'll go back to (South) Korea, then I'll try to meet as many people as possible, which may include political leaders, leaders of civil society and my friends, and I will really consider seriously how best and what I should and could do for my country," Ban said.
He noted that the political situation in South Korea was "very very difficult."
In his final days in office, Ban reflected on the challenges of his tenure and his legacy.
He said the international community's failure to stop the bloodshed in Syria, the risk of genocide in South Sudan and the fear that the Paris climate agreement might not be implemented all weighed on him.
