NadeThe 2016 Candlelight Protests2016 촛불집회
Millions filled the streets every Saturday with candles, not violence — and changed their government.
In late 2016, a political scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and a confidante's influence over state affairs sparked public outrage. What followed became a defining image of Korean democracy: every Saturday evening from October 2016 to March 2017, citizens gathered with candles in Gwanghwamun Square and cities nationwide. Organizers estimated the cumulative turnout across those months at over 16 million — families with strollers, students, office workers, retirees — and the rallies stayed remarkably peaceful, closer to festivals than riots, with music, food stalls, and volunteers picking up trash afterward.
In December 2016 the National Assembly voted to impeach the president, and in March 2017 the Constitutional Court unanimously upheld the impeachment, removing her from office. Power then changed hands through a regular election.
Why did candles matter? Candlelight vigils had been a Korean protest tradition since the 2000s, signaling nonviolence. For a country that endured decades of authoritarian rule and won democracy through the struggles of 1960, 1980, and 1987, the candlelight movement felt like proof that ordinary citizens remain the final check on power. Today Gwanghwamun Square is both a tourist plaza and a living civic stage — weekend rallies of many political stripes are a normal, legal sight there.
2016년 말, 박근혜 대통령과 비선 측근의 국정 개입 스캔들이 국민적 공분을 불렀다. 그 뒤에 벌어진 일은 한국 민주주의의 상징적 장면이 됐다. 2016년 10월부터 2017년 3월까지 매주 토요일 저녁, 시민들이 촛불을 들고 광화문광장과 전국 도시에 모였다. 주최 측 추산 누적 참가자는 1,600만 명이 넘었다. 유모차를 끄는 가족, 학생, 직장인, 어르신까지 — 집회는 폭동이 아니라 축제에 가까울 만큼 평화로웠고, 공연과 먹거리, 집회 후 쓰레기를 줍는 자원봉사가 함께했다.
2016년 12월 국회가 대통령 탄핵소추안을 가결했고, 2017년 3월 헌법재판소가 재판관 전원일치로 탄핵을 인용해 대통령이 파면됐다. 이후 정권은 정상적인 선거를 통해 교체됐다.
왜 하필 촛불일까. 촛불집회는 2000년대부터 이어진 한국의 시위 전통으로, 비폭력을 상징한다. 1960년 4·19, 1980년 광주, 1987년 6월 항쟁을 거쳐 민주주의를 쟁취한 나라에서, 촛불은 평범한 시민이 권력의 최종 감시자라는 사실의 증명처럼 받아들여졌다. 오늘날 광화문광장은 관광 명소이자 살아 있는 시민 광장이다. 주말이면 다양한 성향의 합법 집회가 열리는 게 일상적인 풍경이다.
If you go가신다면
Getting there.가는 법. Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5) exit 9 opens directly onto the square; City Hall Station (Lines 1·2) also works. The Constitutional Court is a 10-minute walk from Anguk Station (Line 3), on the way to Bukchon Hanok Village.
Tips.팁. You may still see rallies of various political groups on weekends — they are legal and generally safe to walk past. Observe rather than join, keep a respectful distance from speakers, and note that photographing individual protesters up close is considered impolite.
Best time.가기 좋은 때. Any season; evenings show the square lit up, and the statues of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin anchor the plaza.
Places in this story이야기 속 장소
- Gwanghwamun Square (Seoul)
- Cheonggye Plaza & Cheonggyecheon Stream (Seoul)
- Constitutional Court of Korea (near Bukchon, exterior view)
Hidden spots nearby근처 숨은 스팟
Places locals go — not the ones on every itinerary.관광 코스 말고, 현지인이 가는 곳.
Sources (4)출처 (4)
- Weekly candlelight rallies were held from October 2016 to March 2017, centered on Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. — The Korea Herald (koreaherald.com, 'Candle revolution: how candles led to Park's impeachment')
- Organizers estimated cumulative participation at over 16 million people nationwide. — The Korea Herald / Global Nonviolent Action Database, Swarthmore College (nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu)
- The National Assembly voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye in December 2016. — PBS NewsHour (pbs.org, 'South Korean parliament votes to impeach president Park')
- The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment in March 2017, removing the president from office; the protests remained overwhelmingly peaceful. — Global Nonviolent Action Database, Swarthmore College (nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu)
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직접 가서 보세요
나들이는 이 이야기 속 장소들을 지도에 담았습니다. 진짜 가는 법, 현지 맥락, 그리고 당신의 언어로 돌아오는 답변까지.