S. Korean opposition party leader launches hunger strike

Lee Jae-myung, the representative of the Democratic Party of Korea, speaks at the hunger strike held at the National Assembly on Sep. 1. [Photo by Yonhap]

Lee Jae-myung, the South Korean politician and representative of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, has embarked on an indefinite hunger strike as a form of protest against the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. The hunger strike started at 1 p.m. on Thursday at the National Assembly.

During a press conference held to mark his one-year tenure as the opposition party’s representative, Lee declared his intention to oppose any actions that could harm democratic values.

“As a citizen of this nation, I will stand with the people and fight against any attempt to undermine democracy in this land,” said Lee.

He directed strong criticism towards the Yoon administration, demanding government reforms, a reshuffle, the legal action against the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea concerning Fukushima’s discharge of contaminated water, and a nationwide apology and change in the administration’s policy direction.

In tandem with Lee’s hunger strike, 118 lawmakers from his party also congregated at the National Assembly to have an overnight sit-in protest, calling for a halt to Japan’s ocean disposal of the radioactive water.

“The only solution to safeguarding the sea is an immediate halt to the discharge,” said Woo Won-shik, a representative from the Democratic Party of Korea.

The ruling party responded to the opposition’s protest by criticizing Lee’s hunger strike as an attempt to divert attention from his own legal issues. Kang Min-kuk, spokesperson for the People Power Party, issued a statement on the same day, characterizing Lee’s hunger strike as a “petty” tactic aimed at deflecting public focus from his potential legal scrutiny, questioning Lee’s suitability for his role as the leader of the opposition party.

The opposition party’s protests reflect the intense political climate in South Korea and the ongoing debates surrounding issues of government policies.

Prominent opposition politicians have often resorted to hunger strikes as a method of conveying their demands. In 1983, the late President Kim Young-sam undertook a hunger strike, demanding the introduction of a presidential system on the third anniversary of the May 18 Democracy Movement. Former President Kim Dae-jung in 1990, President Moon Jae-in in 2014, former leader of the Saenuri Party Lee Jung-hyun in 2016, and leader of the Liberty Korea Party Hwang Kyo-ahn in 2019 also engaged in hunger strike protests.