Lee Jae-myung, Who Effectively Requested 'Rejection'... Question Marks Over His 'Fasting Sincerity'

O Shin-hwan "21st Day of Fasting, A Long Post?"
Ha Tae-kyung "The Real Purpose of Fasting Is to Reject the Arrest Motion"
Jin Joong-kwon "Got Really Nervous, Why Can't They Go Before the Judge?"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is facing a flood of criticism from the political sphere, especially from the ruling party, after writing a message virtually asking lawmakers to vote against his arrest motion a day before the vote.

In particular, voices questioning the "sincerity of the hunger strike" have emerged, given that Lee, who is on the 21st day of his hunger strike and likely unable to properly communicate, wrote a lengthy message.

Former lawmaker Oh Shin-hwan appeared on YTN's 'The News' on the 20th and criticized, "How can a party leader on the 21st day of a hunger strike, unable to speak or engage in dialogue, write such a long message appealing to Democratic Party lawmakers?" He added, "Why is he appealing to his own party's lawmakers here when he holds an immunity from arrest that no citizen possesses?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the lengthy message posted on his social media in the afternoon, Lee said, "The approval of this clearly illegal and unjust arrest motion will give wings to the prosecution's fabricated investigation," and urged, "Stop the runaway locomotive of prosecutorial dictatorship in front of the National Assembly." In effect, he was asking lawmakers to reject the arrest motion.

However, since continuing a hunger strike for 21 days can impair consciousness and judgment and make communication difficult, former lawmaker Oh appears to have expressed doubts about the sincerity of the hunger strike, given that Lee was able to write such a lengthy message without difficulty.

Ha Tae-kyung, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, also raised questions about the sincerity of the hunger strike via social media, saying, "The real purpose of Lee’s hunger strike was to defeat the arrest motion," and added, "Even within the Democratic Party, there were many who found it sudden when Lee began his hunger strike, but today he clearly revealed the purpose of this hunger strike."

Critical views continue regarding Lee’s request to reject the motion. Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min pointed out, "Lee completely reversed his own promise made just three months ago in his National Assembly keynote speech that he would give up his immunity from arrest against political investigations," and said, "If he is innocent, the right thing to do is to confidently attend the warrant hearing and seek the court’s judgment as he promised."

Park Soo-young, head of the Yeouido Institute, said, "Since the Pangyo ventilation accident, I have not trusted anything Lee said, even if he claimed to make tofu from soybeans, but since this was a promise made in a nationally broadcast keynote speech, I thought it would be different this time," and added, "I am confirming once again that he is a person with no sincerity at all."

Kim Min-soo, spokesperson for the People Power Party, said on social media, "Lee, standing at the edge of a cliff, finally cried out his 'voice of the heart' and raised the white flag," while political commentator Jin Joong-kwon wrote on social media, "Lee got really scared. If there is no evidence, why can’t he go before the judge?" Lawmaker Seo Beom-su of the People Power Party expressed disbelief, saying, "What is this?" and lawmaker Kim Woong sarcastically said, "He should rather ask to be arrested only during the day like his hunger strike and be allowed to return home at night."