Why opposition leader’s hunger strike is different from those that came before



Analysis Why opposition leader’s hunger strike is different from those that came before While past political figures used protest to advance South Korea’s democracy, experts say Lee’s protest is more nuanced Joon Ha Park \| Lina ParkSeptember 22, 2023 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae myung (center) attends a candlelight demonstration against the Yoon administration, Sept. 4, 2023. \| Image: Democratic Party of Korea South Korea faces heightened political tension following the National Assembly’s decision on Thursday to approve a motion that could allow the arrest of main opposition Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung. The charges against Lee revolve around allegations of bribery, breach of trust and unauthorized financial transactions with North Korea during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam City and governor of Gyeonggi Province. Lee, now on the 23rd day of his “indefinite” hunger strike, cites an assortment of reasons for his protest, including the Yoon administration’s economic policies and clampdown on press freedom, a lack of senior © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls 02North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy 03South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus 04AI storage boom gives South Korea battery makers an EV overcapacity lifeline 05South Korea’s Mexico strategy runs into the hard limits of USMCA politics 06Preschool test ban forces South Korea’s English hagwons to rethink placement 07Lee Jae Myung’s Wall Street pitch tests South Korea’s capital market credibility 08US midterm clock raises stakes for South Korea’s $200 billion investment talks

Analysis

Why opposition leader’s hunger strike is different from those that came before

While past political figures used protest to advance South Korea’s democracy, experts say Lee’s protest is more nuanced

Joon Ha Park | Lina ParkSeptember 22, 2023

Why opposition leader’s hunger strike is different from those that came before

South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae myung (center) attends a candlelight demonstration against the Yoon administration, Sept. 4, 2023. | Image: Democratic Party of Korea

South Korea faces heightened political tension following the National Assembly’s decision on Thursday to approve a motion that could allow the arrest of main opposition Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung. The charges against Lee revolve around allegations of bribery, breach of trust and unauthorized financial transactions with North Korea during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam City and governor of Gyeonggi Province.

Lee, now on the 23rd day of his “indefinite” hunger strike, cites an assortment of reasons for his protest, including the Yoon administration’s economic policies and clampdown on press freedom, a lack of senior

Why opposition leader’s hunger strike is different from those that came before

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Joon Ha Park

Lina Park