Hong Jun-pyo to Lee Jae-myung: "Apologize for Complaining About Food... Stop the Hunger Strike"

17th Day of Hunger Strike "Apology for Mocking Life-Threatening Hunger Strike"
Democratic Party Holds Emergency Lawmakers' Meeting

Hong Joon-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, told Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who has been on a hunger strike for 17 days, "Now stop the hunger strike and take care of your health."

On the 16th, Mayor Hong posted on Facebook, "I apologize for saying that your hunger strike at the beginning was like a spoiled child's fuss over food," adding, "Regardless of the reason, it was wrong to mock a life-threatening hunger strike."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is on the 16th day of his fast, is meeting with senior figures from religious circles and civil society organizations in the party leader's office at the National Assembly on the 15th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

He also said, "Sinwoomul." Sinwoomul is a four-character idiom meaning that the body is more precious than anything else.

Earlier, on the 4th, Mayor Hong criticized Lee Jae-myung, who was on a hunger strike, saying, "Running the country is not like a child fussing over side dishes and refusing to eat," and added, "A hunger strike is the last resort used in the 1970s and 1980s when there were no means of resistance."

Since the 31st of last month, Lee has been on an indefinite hunger strike demanding from the government ▲a public apology and a change in national policy direction ▲filing a complaint with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea regarding the discharge of contaminated water ▲government reform and a cabinet reshuffle.

On the 14th day of the hunger strike, medical staff recommended stopping the hunger strike, saying, "It is advisable to stop the hunger strike even now."

According to Cheon Jun-ho, a Democratic Party lawmaker serving as the chief secretary to the party leader, Lee Jae-myung began to show signs of electrolyte imbalance from the 7th day of the hunger strike. His heartbeat is being monitored 24 hours a day with a patch.

Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Accordingly, on the afternoon of the 16th, the Democratic Party held an emergency meeting of lawmakers at the National Assembly to discuss future response measures related to Lee Jae-myung's hunger strike.

However, even if party lawmakers reach a consensus, it is uncertain whether Lee will accept it. He is known to have a strong will to continue the hunger strike.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.