Former President Moon travels to Seoul for September 19 event
Some within the party say "Moon should find a way out of Lee's hunger strike"
Political circles are focused on whether former President Moon Jae-in, who is visiting Seoul on the 19th to attend the 5th anniversary event of the September 19 Peace Joint Declaration, will visit Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was urgently transported to the hospital due to deteriorating health. Earlier, voices within the party called for former President Moon to visit Lee and help find a way out of his hunger strike.
Lee, who began a hunger strike demanding government reform and a full cabinet reshuffle, was urgently transported to the hospital on the 18th, the 19th day of his strike.
According to the Democratic Party, Lee's blood sugar rapidly dropped that morning, and he was almost unconscious. Spokesperson Park Sung-jun said on YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' that "when checked in the morning, his health condition was very poor," and "he was in a confused state of mind, so we called an ambulance (119)."
Although there were voices within the party urging Lee to stop his hunger strike, he has resolutely continued. According to Democratic Party spokesperson Han Min-soo, Lee has decided to continue the hunger strike without consuming any food except for minimal intravenous fluid treatment.
Some figures have argued that former President Moon should step in to provide an 'exit' for Lee's hunger strike. On the 13th, former President Moon indirectly conveyed a message urging Lee to stop the strike through former Chief Secretary Noh Young-min, but Lee had not stopped the hunger strike as of that day.
In response, former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won requested that former President Moon hurry up from Yangsan, Gyeongnam, saying that only Moon can make Lee stop the hunger strike. He believed that if Moon personally intervened and discouraged Lee, Lee might accept it.
On the 13th, Park said on MBC Radio's 'Shin Jang-sik's News High Kick,' "Former President Moon sent former Chief Secretary Noh to deliver such a message, but it would be better if Moon himself comes to Seoul within a few days and shows a stance discouraging the hunger strike."
Democratic Party Supreme Council member Seo Young-kyo sees a high possibility of a meeting between the two. In an interview on BBS Radio's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal,' Seo said, "It seems highly likely that (former President Moon will visit Lee)," adding, "Moon will probably go tomorrow to meet Lee, talk once more about why he did this, and also tell him to take care of his health."
However, it is undecided whether former President Moon will visit the hospital where Lee is admitted. Democratic Party spokesperson Park Sung-jun said on YTN Radio that "there is much talk in the media about (the meeting between the two), but personally, not as a spokesperson, since Lee was hospitalized today and his health condition is poor, I don't know what will happen."
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