Li Zaiming, leader of the Common Democratic Party, the largest opposition party in South Korea, has recently become the focus of public opinion in South Korea because of his hunger strike against the government.
On August 31, 59-year-old Li Zaiming began a hunger strike against the government led by President Yin Xiyue. He made three demands on the government: "Destroying national livelihood and democracy."apologyOppose Japan’s nuclear pollution to the sea and completely reshuffle the cabinet.
Initially, Li Zaiming protested in a tent outside the Capitol. Later, Li Zaiming’s health deteriorated, and he protested in his office in the Capitol instead. On September 18th, Li Zaiming was rushed to the hospital for medical treatment due to symptoms such as decreased blood sugar and coma. After regaining consciousness, Li Zaiming said that in addition to receiving minimal infusion, he would continue to hunger strike.
On September 19th, former South Korean President Moon Jae in went to the hospital to visit Li Zaiming and persuaded Li Zaiming to stop the hunger strike and "snap out of it and join in a new fight". But Li Zaiming didn’t agree.
According to some medical personnel, after 10 days of continuous hunger strike, people’s health will be irreversibly damaged. In that case, why does Li Zaiming, who is nearly sixty years old, insist on a hunger strike?
First of all, it is not uncommon for South Korea to engage in political struggle by means of hunger strike.
In protest against the government, former South Korean Presidents Jin Yongsan and Kim Dae-jung went on a hunger strike for 23 days and 13 days respectively before becoming presidents. Kyo Ahn Hwang, a former leader of the Free Korean Party, had a hunger strike for eight days; Moon Jae in had a hunger strike for 10 days; Li Zaiming went on a hunger strike for 11 days in 2016. No matter what the specific purpose is, the hunger strike will generally put great pressure on the incumbent government.
Secondly, the opposition between the ruling and opposition parties in South Korea is increasing, and Li Zaiming hopes to force Yin Xiyue’s government to talk and compromise through hunger strike.
After Yin Xiyue took office, some former officials of Moon Jae in government and Li Zaiming, the leader of the opposition party, became the targets of investigation by the prosecution. Yin Xiyue’s wife and mother-in-law are constantly involved in the controversy. The latter was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment for forging the certificate of deposit balance, and Yin Xiyue herself was also sued by the opposition party. Under this circumstance, the lack of effective communication between the ruling and opposition parties has led to the impact on South Korea’s national politics.
However, the hunger strike in Li Zaiming did not have the expected effect.
Yin Xiyue has not made a statement on Li Zaiming’s hunger strike so far. Only the leader of the ruling National Power Party has asked Li Zaiming to stop the hunger strike.
To make matters worse, on the day when Li Zaiming was taken to the hospital, the Central District Prosecutor’s Office in Seoul, South Korea, asked the court to arrest Li Zaiming, on charges including alleged dereliction of duty, taking bribes, and instigating others to commit perjury. On 19th, Yin Xiyue, who was in new york, approved the arrest warrant for Li Zaiming.
Li Zaiming is currently under judicial investigation, and the cases involved include that he was suspected of helping developers benefit from housing construction and development projects during his tenure as mayor of Chengnan City. To this end, Li Zaiming has visited the procuratorate for investigation five times. On the 21st, the South Korean National Assembly held a plenary meeting and passed a request for permission to detain Li Zaiming.
Some South Korean media analysts pointed out that although Li Zaiming’s three demands during the hunger strike failed to get the response of the ruling party, he won the sympathy of more people. The Common Democratic Party issued a statement saying that it would launch an "all-round struggle" against the government of Yin Xiyue, and demanded that the Prime Minister step down and the cabinet resign collectively.
Analysts believe that Yin Xiyue’s government has not shown a tendency to compromise with the opposition party at present, and the prosecution’s investigation of Li Zaiming is not expected to stop, which means that the "extreme confrontation" situation in Korean politics is likely to continue. On the diplomatic front, Yin Xiyue’s policy toward the United States and Japan shows no signs of turning, and the opposition party may continue to criticize Yin Xiyue’s government in the future.
Li Zaiming’s hunger strike is also believed to be related to the parliamentary elections in April next year. If the opposition party wins, it will be more difficult for Yin Xiyue’s government to govern. If the ruling party wins, the opposition party will lose the capital to fight against the government.
According to the results of a poll released by South Korea’s Gallup Company on the 15th, the support rate of Yin Xiyue’s government is 31% and the disapproval rate is 60%. As far as political parties are concerned, the support rate of the National Power Party is 33% and that of the Common Democratic Party is 32%. According to this trend, next year’s parliamentary elections will be relatively stalemate, and Li Zaiming may hope to win more supporters through a hunger strike.
But for Li Zaiming, the hunger strike can only be a stopgap measure, and simply criticizing the government is not enough to win enough support. How to create a more favorable election situation before April next year may be what he needs to consider. (Workers Daily Bi Zhenshan)
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