Choi Kang-wook: "Tumbler Fasting? If One Person Has Stopped Eating, They Should At Least Show Some Courtesy"

"Only When Dan-sik Lee Jae-myung Collapses Will It End"
"No Public Opinion of Distrust Toward Lee Jae-myung Formed"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who began a hunger strike to mark his first anniversary in office, has been criticized by the ruling party as a 'tumbler fast,' prompting Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Kang-wook to criticize the ruling party, saying, "If one person has stopped eating, there should be some courtesy."

On the 5th, Choi said on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Choi Kang Current Affairs,' "Well, it's neither true nor courteous, and I hope they don't do politics like that."

Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Kang-wook is entering his office at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 5th while responding to questions from the press. On the same day, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit reportedly executed a search warrant on Representative Choi in connection with allegations of personal information leakage involving Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Earlier, on the 3rd, Park Dae-chul, chairman of the Policy Committee of the People Power Party, mocked Lee on his social media, saying, "The power of a tumbler and teaspoon with unknown contents," implying that Lee was putting on a 'hunger strike show.' This suggests that he is consuming separate nutrients through a tumbler whose contents are not visible.

In response, Choi said, "No matter how much you dislike the opposition leader and want to insist that your own actions are justified, if one person has stopped eating, there should be at least some courtesy or reflection on that. It's not right to mock like that."

When asked when the hunger strike would end, he said, "There has never been a discussion or summary of the entire Democratic Party's position, so it is entirely up to him to decide," adding, "From what I heard on the day he started, he will not stop on his own. Judging by his determination to go to the end, I think it will only end when he collapses."

Regarding the internal atmosphere within the party about Lee's hunger strike being divided along factional lines, he emphasized, "It seems that there are quite a few media reports hoping that public opinion will turn unfavorable. Currently, Lee himself is guarding the protest site, many people are visiting and talking, and lawmakers are sympathizing and continuing the fast alongside him.

Moreover, someone suggested in lawmakers' Telegram chat rooms not to leave the leader lonely but to keep him company, and in response, lawmakers have been volunteering to guard from certain times continuously," he said. "Judging from this, it doesn't seem that there is a public opinion that particularly distrusts the leader."