Tears of Park Ji-hyun, Welcomed Nowhere by Both Pro-Myeong and Anti-Myeong Factions... "Grotesque" "Over the Top"

Jo Eung-cheon "Sudden Reversal Without Intermediate Steps"
Jung Cheong-rae "It's Rare to Cry Like That"
Kim Jong-min "Just Went to Visit" Voices Warning Against Speculation

Former Emergency Committee member Park Ji-hyun, who was classified as a 'party dissident' for advocating the approval of the arrest motion against Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, last February, recently visited Lee’s hunger strike site and tearfully urged him to "stop the hunger strike." The reaction within the party has been cold. The anti-Lee faction described her sudden change as "grotesque," while the pro-Lee faction also criticized it as an "overreaction."

On the 12th, Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Eung-cheon from the anti-Lee faction expressed discomfort on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' saying, "It looked surreal and grotesque. The sudden reversal without any intermediate stage was unsettling."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Emergency Committee member Park showed tears at Lee’s hunger strike site the day before, saying, "I came because I was worried about your health. Please stop the hunger strike and recover your health." Later, in a meeting with reporters, she added, "I told him to stop the hunger strike because I would prepare a recovery meal for him."

However, considering Park’s previous stance opposing Lee, lawmaker Cho views this as a 'sudden reversal.' Park began to confront Lee last year by revealing that Lee’s candidacy for Incheon Gyeyang District was not requested by the Democratic Party but by Lee himself.

She also consistently pointed out problems with Lee’s 'fanatical fandom' and demanded that Lee sever ties with the fandom. In February, she stirred controversy by advocating for the approval of Lee’s arrest motion, stating, "The only way to save the Democratic Party, the people, and democracy is through Lee’s sacrifice," which led to a petition for her expulsion from the party gaining over 50,000 signatures.

When asked by the host why Park acted that way, lawmaker Cho said, "I don’t know. Maybe she was too desolate or felt pity, so she acted like that," withholding further comment.

It is not only the anti-Lee faction that is uncomfortable with her 'sudden reversal.' Pro-Lee Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Cheong-rae also criticized on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs' that "(Park) surprisingly came," and "(her tears) seem a bit over the top."

He added, "She came to the hunger strike site and held back tears a lot, but crying like that is quite rare," and regarding Park’s remarks, he said, "I don’t know well because I’m not interested."

However, there are opinions that Park’s visit to Lee should not be overly politicized. On Channel A’s radio show 'Political Signal,' anti-Lee Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Jong-min, when asked how he viewed Park’s visit, said, "She just went to see him. There’s no need to keep commenting or interpreting it in any special way," cautioning against speculation.

He added, "When we visit someone who is sick or attend a condolence or congratulatory event, why do we keep interpreting why we went there? Is that really right?" and said, "If someone is in such a difficult condition that they need a hospital visit, it’s natural to visit regardless of whether the relationship is good or bad. I don’t understand why people keep interpreting it that way."