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Supporters of Minister Cho Kuk gathered in front of the South Korean prosecutor's office on Saturday (October 5th) in Seoul. Ed JONES / AFP

In South Korea, activists and ordinary citizens have rallied en masse to express their support for Justice Minister Cho Kuk - suspected by his own corruption prosecutors - and his plan to reform the judiciary.

"Protect Cho Kuk! Let's reform the floor! Two days after Conservative activists critical of Liberal President Moon Jae-in descended into downtown Seoul to demand the dismissal of the justice minister , it was his supporters' turn to give voice this Saturday.

Candle in hand, they were 3 million, according to the organizers, to gather in front of the Seoul prosecutor's office. " We are here because we want a reform of the prosecution for a more just society. Cho Kuk is someone honest, it's the right person to carry out this reform, "said Park Seul-gi, a 22-year-old student at the microphone of our correspondent Louis Palligiano .

In early September, as Minister of Justice, Cho Kuk's mission is to reform the prosecutor's office. But for a month and a half, he and his family have been at the heart of a scandal of cheating and corruption that is increasingly polarizing Korean society. The prosecutors are investigating suspicions of bribery in obtaining a public contract, while his daughter is accused of cheating to enter the university.

► See also: South Korea: new justice minister already accused of corruption

The Minister of Justice is thus in the crosshairs of an institution he wants to reform. For Han Seong-chun, an employee of about fifty years, it is urgent to limit the powers of prosecutors: " The prosecutors are too powerful. They have all the rights to investigate and to charge. It's a kind of mafia. "

If the gathering increases in number of participants each week, the ranks of the counter-protesters who call for the resignation of Cho Kuk also grow. They were 300,000 this Saturday, according to the organizers. Among them, Kim Sang-deok, a retired trader. " We want the removal of President Moon and also of Cho Kuk. He has committed a lot of irregularities, so we oppose. The heated controversy surrounding Cho has fueled political wrangling in the country and is now a key issue in the run-up to next year's parliamentary elections.