The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) held a massive rally in central Seoul on Saturday to protest against the Yoon Suk Yeol government and prosecution probes into its leader.

It marks DP's first street rally since late 2016, when the party joined civic groups to oust then President Park Geun-hye.

The party's leadership and about 100 incumbent DP lawmakers attended the rally, joined by party members and citizens.

Police estimated the number of participants at 20-thousand, while the party said about 300-thousand people joined the rally.

In the DP's first outdoor rally since the launch of the Yoon government, the party strongly criticized the prosecution's corruption investigation into its chief Lee Jae-myung.

In a 20-minute speech at the event, Lee criticized the Yoon government, calling it a dictatorial regime of the prosecution. He urged the Yoon government not to choose the path the governments of Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye had taken.

DP floor leader Park Hong-geun reaffirmed the party's plan to seek a special probe into stock manipulation involving First Lady Kim Keon-hee.