"Never seen fasting mocked like this"
"Fasting but so energetic... attending various rallies"
"Possibility that arrest warrant request in September may not proceed"
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who started a hunger strike to mark his first anniversary in office, was sharply criticized by Yoo Sang-beom, senior spokesperson of the People Power Party, who said, "It seems like a new chapter in the history of hunger strikes in South Korea has been opened."
On the 5th, Yoo said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show', "There are talks about 'tumbler fasting,' 'what kind of fasting show is this,' and 'well-being fasting.' When Assemblyman Min Hyung-bae approaches directly, they say 'cover the camera' and ask to step aside briefly, which also looks like a kind of fasting. I think this is the first time I've seen fasting being mocked in such various ways."
He also compared Lee's fasting with past "real fasting." Yoo said, "As you know, the fasting by former leaders Hwang Kyo-ahn and Kim Sung-tae was so-called genuine fasting. They only consumed salt and water, and after about six days, they couldn't even sit up themselves." He added, "But now, (Lee) seems very lively. He attends various rallies."
He then claimed that the purpose of the fasting was to avoid the prosecution's request for an arrest warrant in September. Yoo said, "The purpose of this fasting is to evade the prosecution's summons and the request for an arrest warrant in September," adding, "As the weekend approaches, Lee, who usually suffers from diabetes, is fasting, which is very fatal for diabetes. So, rumors about his health problems will likely leak from the Democratic Party."
He continued, "Probably next week, he will be hospitalized, and if you fast, the hospitalization period is usually twice as long as the fasting period," adding, "If such a process occurs, the possibility that the prosecution's planned investigation and arrest warrant request in September will not proceed properly has significantly increased."
When the host pointed out that "from Lee's perspective, there is no benefit other than delaying the arrest warrant request by a month," Yoo responded, "From Lee's perspective, as October and November pass, the general election phase will begin, and various options for him to respond will emerge," adding, "Basically, the biggest goal is to overcome the crisis coming in September."
He also said that the prosecution would feel considerable pressure in this situation. He said, "If suddenly over the weekend he becomes critically ill and then hospitalized, the prosecution will likely face huge public criticism," adding, "I think the prosecution might consider requesting an arrest warrant without investigation if the evidence regarding the most important North Korea remittance suspicion case is clear and if there is sufficient proof regarding the Baekhyeon-dong case. These are probably the conditions."
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