Tens of thousands went to the streets of Seoul on Saturday to protest against conservative South Korean president Park Geun-hye’s labor and education policies in one of the largest anti-government demonstrations since 2008.
The protesters demanded Park to step down as over 65,000 people marched across Seoul toward the presidential office -- the Blue House -- while police officers blocked the marchers by linking hundreds of police buses to block the streets leading to the Blue House. The police officers fired tear gas as some protesters tried to break through the barricades. Many protestors were armed with metal pipes and sharpened bamboo sticks.
"The government was fully prepared to guarantee a lawful and peaceful rally, but some people came prepared with illegal equipment such as steel pipes and conducted a violent protest," said South Korea's Justice Minister Kim Hyun-woong.
Among the protesters are unionized workers who are discontent with Ms. Park’s labor reforms. They claim that the reforms would give employers the flexibility to more easily fire workers.
Han Sang-gyun, the president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, called for more protests at a news conference, according to Reuters.
"The government must immediately cease worsening labour conditions," Han demanded.
Other protestors expressed opposition to Park's replacement of privately published history books to government-mandated ones that would be issued in 2017.
51 people were arrested from Saturday's protest on charges of assaulting police officers and destroying public equipment, according to police. They added that some 10 people were injured from the protest.
