People have staged protests in streets of the South Korean capital, Seoul, to mark President Lee Myung-bak's three years in the Blue House -- the official residence of the head of state.
People gathered in downtown Seoul decrying the president's policy towards North Korea and the economic situation in South Korea.
South Koreans and North Koreans remain divided in regard to relations.
Conservative groups advocate an even more robust position than the hard-line strategy pursued by Lee Myung-bak upon his inauguration, according to Press TV's correspondent in Seoul.
Others believe the president was mistaken in abandoning the Sunshine Policy's ten years of engagement with Pyongyang.
Some suggest militarism in South Korea is on the rise, and question the president's perceived aggressive style.
“In short, I think that South Korea, is going back to the seventy's when the military government overcame Korea…I think he (President Lee) should listen to people,” said a civilian.
Others believe the government is back on the right path with their leader's firm hand in dealing with Pyongyang. A civilian said Lee is the first president who wants to recover the identity of South Koreans.
Relations with North Korea have been an obsession with many, but the economy is also of primary concern, “Where did the high price of goods come from? It was to boost exports to increase economic growth, and the burden was placed on poor ordinary people, that has been the policy of the Lee Myung-bak government and it is none other than a philosophy of poverty,” said Democratic Party leader, Sohn Hak-Kuy.
Since the economic crisis, South Korea has recovered the solid economic growth enjoyed in the past. But social gaps have widened says the left, eagerly awaiting the end of Lee's presidency, still two years away.
MAG/JM/MGH