Thousands gather in South Korea's capital to call for president's removal

SEOUL, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Tens of thousands of South Korean protestors gathered again in Seoul to President Park Geun-hye's resignation amid a corruption scandal.

Police estimate 50,000 protesters gathered in central Seoul while organizers said 200,000 were expected to join the group carrying signs which read "Park Out" or "Park regime should step down," according to Yonhap News Agency.

The protest came a day after Park, 64, issued an emotional apology about the "heartbreaking" scandal surrounding her relationship with Choi Soon-Sil, the daughter of a pseudo-Christian cult leader, who is acused of amassing $70 million in illicit donations using her connections.

Park denied she took part in "shamanist rituals" at the Blue House, the executive office and president resisence located in Seoul, but admitted that she had let Choi, who was arrested on charges of fraud and abuse of power, edit her speeches, according to the BBC.

Approximately 20,000 police officers were reportedly deployed to the area to monitor the protest, which was one of the largest held in the capital.

Park's connection to Choi left her with the lowest ever approval rating held by a sitting South Korean president at five percent.