Lee Jae-myung's Hunger Strike... Ruling Party: "What a Strange Move" Opposition: "Fight with Life-or-Death Determination"

Yoo Seung-min "No Emotion, No Resonance, No Regret"
Park Dae-chul "Not Time for Fasting but for Eating Seafood"
Park Ji-won "Kim Dae-jung and Kim Young-sam Also Fasted"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, declared an "indefinite fast" at a press conference marking his first anniversary as party leader, but the ruling party responded skeptically, calling it a "bulletproof fast." While the Democratic Party defended it as the "best form of struggle," voices from the opposition and the third sector expressed that it was "neither moving nor relatable."

Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min said on his social media on the 31st, "Over the past year, despite holding a majority of seats, you failed to properly fulfill the role and responsibility of the opposition due to your own mistakes and faults, and now you suddenly declare a fast? It is a fast with no emotion, no resonance, and no regret."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is on a hunger strike in front of the National Assembly main building on the 31st. At a press conference marking his first anniversary in office, Lee declared, "I will start a national uprising against the incompetent and violent regime," and began an indefinite hunger strike. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

He added, "Is this a bulletproof fast to avoid arrest? The answer is not fasting but resignation. Protecting the constitutional order and democracy is the people's job."

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, also said after a field supreme council meeting in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, "I don't understand why there is a sudden fast just before the opening of the regular National Assembly session, when we should be focusing on people's livelihoods and caring for citizens' lives," adding, "The leader of the main opposition party, especially leading a large opposition party, is essentially neglecting his duties."

Park Dae-chul, chairman of the Policy Committee, wrote on social media, "The leader of the main opposition party, who wields a majority of seats as a weapon to engage in legislative dictatorship, is not a weak party but an absolute strong party. If he pretends to be weak, it would be an insult to the people," and said, "Fishermen, fish markets, and sashimi restaurant workers are desperately hoping for seafood consumption. Now is not the time to fast but to eat seafood."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is on a hunger strike in front of the National Assembly main building on the 31st. At the press conference marking his first anniversary in office, he announced, "I will start a national resistance against the incompetent and violent regime," and began an indefinite hunger strike. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Park Soo-young, head of the Yeouido Institute, said on social media, "It's outrageous that a local petty criminal is doing the fasting that democratic fighters should be doing," and former lawmaker Oh Shin-hwan criticized, "Leader Lee, who demanded an unprecedented privilege for the main opposition party leader to request a warrant during the non-session period, has now resorted to a bulletproof fast because that didn't work."

Figures from the opposition and the third sector also pointed out problems with the fast. Former Justice Party lawmaker Park Won-seok said on social media, "The leader of the opposition party with a majority of 168 seats declaring an indefinite fast ahead of the regular National Assembly session? Is this how you fulfill your resolute declaration last June not to hide behind parliamentary immunity?" He urged, "Withdraw before being called a bulletproof fast and do what you are supposed to do properly."

Yang Hyang-ja, who founded the party 'Hope of Korea,' said, "It is very regrettable that the leader of the main opposition party with an overwhelming majority chose 'fasting protest,' the last means of resistance and a desperate form of struggle," adding, "Leader Lee's fast lacks justification and its effectiveness is uncertain."

The new party 'New Choice,' led by former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, criticized in a statement, "What Leader Lee should declare is not an indefinite fast but a declaration to boldly undergo the arrest warrant review," and said, "What is he so afraid of that he is stumbling around? Now he is even resorting to the trick of fasting to divert attention elsewhere."

On the other hand, Democratic Party figures came out in support of Leader Lee's fast. Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won referenced Admiral Yi Sun-sin's famous saying, 'Sa-jik-saeng (死卽生)', saying, "Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Kim Young-sam also protected democracy through fasting when they were opposition leaders," and added, "The president is calling for a fight, and this is the best form of struggle against the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, which is leading the country into a national disaster era and ruining democracy, the grassroots economy, inter-Korean relations, and diplomacy."

Jung Cheong-rae, a senior member of the Democratic Party, shared a photo of himself at the site of Leader Lee's fast, saying, "We are starting a full-scale fight against the incompetent, stubborn, and violent Yoon Seok-yeol prosecution dictatorship regime," and appealed, "We must judge this regime through a nationwide uprising. Leader Lee will stand at the forefront and fight resolutely. Please join us."

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Won-i said, "Leader Lee must have gained strength after attending the rally at Mokpo Station condemning the Fukushima nuclear wastewater ocean discharge. He ordered a people's uprising at the rally and today declared an indefinite fasting struggle," and added, "I support Leader Lee, who is risking his life in an indefinite fasting struggle against the incompetent, irresponsible, and ruthless Yoon Seok-yeol government."