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Korean Politician Goes On Hunger Strike in Protest of Japan’s Water Release

Korean Politician Goes On Hunger Strike in Protest of Japan's Water Release

South Korea’s opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung, attended a press conference a year after his inauguration, where he revealed his intention to go on a hunger strike in protest of Japan’s release of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Lee, who recently called Japan’s release of contaminated water “a declaration of war,” announced that he would begin his ‘indefinite fast’ starting August 31st as a “last resort to prevent the destruction of democracy.” On the other hand, the current leader of the ruling party, Kim Gi-hyeon, criticized the move, saying, “I don’t know why the government is suddenly fasting ahead of the National Assembly opening. As the leader of a huge opposition party, this is nothing but an abandonment of duty.”

While Lee Jae-myung hasn’t said how long his hunger strike would last, it’s considered a rare but strong gesture for a South Korean politician and leader of a major party to make such a gesture. Lee has been protesting the Fukushima power plant issue and calling out the Korean government for acting as an accomplice by “backing up Japan” rather than opposing it.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol also shot back at critics of the release of treated water, calling them “people who claim that one plus one equals one hundred.”

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