An indefinite hunger strike is taking place in South Korean politics, and Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the party, has been on hunger strike for 17 consecutive days to oppose the discharge of nuclear sewage from Japan. Lee Jae-myung is alive with the water and salt needed to sustain his life, and is currently so weak that he can barely walk and spends most of his time lying down. To monitor his physical condition, Lee also wears a 24-hour heart rate patch, receives remote monitoring, and regularly checks blood sugar and temperature. Medical experts said that if he continued his hunger strike, his life would be in danger, but Lee did not give up his plans to go on hunger strike. His hunger strike has become the focus of South Korean politics, and the National Youth Committee of the Democratic Party of China has joined the hunger strike in support of Lee Jae-myung. But so far, South Korean President Yoon Seok-hyeol has not responded. How will this protest end?
According to reports, on August 31, Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea's opposition Democratic Party, announced an indefinite hunger strike. His demands include demanding that the government apologize to the people for destroying people's livelihoods, opposing the discharge of Japan's nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, and a complete cabinet reshuffle. He began a sit-in demonstration in a tent in front of the main parliament building, hanging banners expressing his determination to "support democracy." Lee said he would persist in an indefinite hunger strike with the determination to die and live later. On the ninth day of the hunger strike, Lee greeted supporters and took photos to commemorate them.
Some supporters shed tears after seeing Lee emaciated by a hunger strike. Subsequently, he felt tired and lay down to rest. On the 10th day of the hunger strike, Lee Jae-myung interrupted his hunger strike and went to the prosecutor's office to be investigated into the DPRK remittance case. The case reportedly involved 2019 when Lee Jae-myung, then governor of Gyeonggi Province, was accused of participating in helping the Gyeonggi government pay for projects such as visiting North Korea. Mr. Lee said on social media that the allegations were fabricated out of thin air, and no evidence was found during hundreds of seizures and searches by the investigative unit. This is the fifth time Lee has been surveyed since last year's election. That morning, when Mr. Lee appeared in public eye, he wore a suit and blue sneakers and read a statement.
On the 13th day of the hunger strike, Roh Young-min, secretary general of former South Korean President Moon Jae-in, visited Lee Jae-myung and relayed Moon's advice. He said that the health of the party leader is more important than anything else, and that the hunger strike should be stopped as soon as possible and health should be restored. Mr. Lee thanked Mr. Moon for his concern and said he would make a deliberate decision. On the 15th day, Kim Ki-hyun, the head of South Korea's ruling National Power Party, had to call out to Lee Jae-myung to stop his hunger strike and consider protecting his health for whatever reason.
There are also growing voices in the Democratic Party of China urging Lee to stop his hunger strike, but he still insists on continuing the hunger strike. Democratic Party spokesman Park Sung-joon said Lee had firmly expressed his willingness to continue the hunger strike.
Mr. Lee is not the first South Korean politician to go on hunger strike. Over the past few decades, South Korean politics has often seen politicians go on hunger strikes, some with great success, some with huge capital, and others with no attention or even as a laughing stock. One of the most successful figures is former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. In 1990, Kim Dae-jung went on a 13-day hunger strike to protest the then-ruling party's three-party merger and take control of governance. At his appeal, 30 members of the South Korean National Assembly also joined the hunger strike. South Korea's political situation fell into chaos for a time, and Kim Dae-jung and his opposition party won a complete victory, and the South Korean government was forced to agree to many of his political demands, including local autonomy. In addition to this hunger strike, Kim Dae-jung also went on hunger strike in 1978 and 1980. Another former South Korean president, Kim Young-sam, has also gone on hunger strike. In 1983, Kim went on a hunger strike for 23 days to protest against the crackdown by then-President Chun Doo-hwan. Under the advice of people, Kim Yong-sam, who had been on hunger strike for 23 days, stopped his hunger strike.
The hunger strike played an important role in South Korea's constitutional revision and the 1987 presidential election. Hunger strikes have also become one of the common ways in which South Korean politicians oppose government decisions.
Hunger strikes have become a "tradition" in South Korean politics, with politicians expressing protest against government decisions by shaving their heads, hunger strikes, and resignation. These protests were sometimes successful, sometimes ineffective and even a joke. These politicians tried to confront the ruling party by arousing public opinion and uniting supporters. However, some argue that these tactics are not good for Congress. Park Ji-won, a lawmaker from South Korea's fourth-largest Democratic Peace Party, has said that South Korea's opposition parties in the 21st century have three kinds of show: resignation, hunger strike and haircuts. In his view, the fierce struggle between political parties is no longer confined to Congress, but takes place within Congress. The hunger strike is an extreme tactic in which they try to protest and oppose the decisions of the ruling party.
In general, hunger strikes have become a common way for politicians to express their protests in South Korean politics. Some have succeeded by going on hunger strike, others have not. Whatever the outcome, these hunger strikes have attracted widespread attention and had a significant impact on South Korean politics.