Opposition party to take to streets in protest of prosecution probes into leader

SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) is set to stage a large-scale anti-government protest in central Seoul on Saturday afternoon.

Thousands of party members, including leader Lee Jae-myung, are expected to join the rally, which will be the first outdoor political assembly to be held by the DP in six years.

During the event, they will condemn the prosecution's ongoing corruption investigations into Lee and his confidants, which the party describes as groundless and politically motivated, DP officials said.

The party will also demand the dismissal of Interior Minister Lee Sang-min and other officials deemed responsible for the government's botched response to the Oct. 29 crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district, which killed 159 people, they said.

In addition, the DP is expected to voice the need for a special counsel probe into stock manipulation allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee and denounce the Yoon Suk Yeol administration over a recent spike in heating bills and energy costs.

The event will be the DP's first outdoor rally since late 2016, when it joined civic groups to oust then President Park Geun-hye involved in a corruption scandal.
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