Lee Jae-myung and Moon Jae-in Join Hands... When Will the 'Hunger Strike Suspension' Happen?

"Suspension of Hunger Strike After Vote"

Former President Moon Jae-in visited Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who has been fasting for 21 days while receiving intravenous fluids, to dissuade him from continuing the fast, but Lee's determination remained unshaken. It is expected that the fast will be maintained at least until the vote on the arrest warrant on the 21st, and there is a high possibility that the fast will continue for a long period thereafter. Within the party, voices are emerging that even if there is no response from the presidential office or the ruling party, it is necessary for Lee to stop the fast on his own.

On the 20th, Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Won-wook said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show', "In my view, Lee will continue fasting for a few more days even after the vote on the arrest warrant," adding, "The vote on the arrest warrant is scheduled for tomorrow, and I see no possibility of him stopping before then."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former President Moon visited Lee the day before and said, "You have shown enough determination in your fast, and you need to fight for a long time," urging him to stop fasting. However, Lee reportedly only replied, "I understand," without saying he would stop the fast.

In political circles, it is predicted that his fast will continue until the vote on the arrest warrant on the 21st. On the previous day, People Power Party lawmaker Lee Yong-ho said on CBS's 'Park Jae-hong's One-on-One Battle', "From our party's perspective, this fast seems to be an attempt to avoid judicial risks and the vote on the arrest warrant. I think the arrest warrant will be processed on the 21st anyway, so I believe the intravenous fast will continue until then."

Political commentator Jin Joong-kwon, a special professor at Kwangwoon University, said, "Lee's fast is linked to the vote on the arrest warrant, so he will end the fast only after the vote takes place. The possibility of his detention is quite high in my view, so we must do whatever it takes to get this motion rejected."

There are concerns that if the fast continues long after the vote, the momentum of the political situation itself could be lost. Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Sang-min said on Channel A radio's 'Political Signal', "Former President Moon and other party elders have directly visited Lee to recommend stopping, and the public feels the same. Whether in a good or bad sense, many citizens are suffering more now, and there are many tasks to be done in the regular National Assembly session. If the party leader fasts for a long time like this, there is no sign of resolving the political situation," adding, "Of course, it would be good if President Yoon Seok-youl and the ruling party could resolve this, but if that is unlikely, then as the largest party in the National Assembly, the party leader should show proactive leadership."

Even without a specific trigger to stop the fast, there is a need for the 'determination' to stop it on one's own. Lawmaker Lee said, "Rather, how about Lee stopping the fast first on his own? Although there may be conflicts such as 'there is no justification to stop now since the fast is not gaining anything,' stopping is also a great courage," adding, "Considering the many things that need to be done now, Lee's courageous decision to stop fasting could be a starting point to resolve the political situation."