[ASIATODAY suggests..] Hwang Kyo-ahn to end hunger strike, Moon to accept summit talk

Nov 27, 2019, 07:47 am

The chief of the main opposition party continued his hunger strike for a seventh straight day Tuesday in front of the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

Liberty Korea Party (LKP) chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn has given up food in freezing weather to continue his political struggle, risking his life. Fasting is the last measure of politicians in order to achieve a political goal.

Hwang began his fast Wednesday in a bid to change the policies of President Moon Jae-in. His three major demands are to keep the GSOMIA intelligence sharing pact with Japan, revoke bills to set up a special unit to probe corruption by high-ranking government officials, and to adopt a new proportional representation system as part of electoral system.

First of all, his demand for keeping the military agreement was actually met as the government decided to conditionally suspend the planned expiry of GSOMIA.

However, the issues of establishing an independent anti-corruption state investigation agency and revising the election regulations seem very hard to be settled as many different interests among political powers including the government, the ruling Democratic Party (DP), the LKP, Bareunmirae Party, the Justice Party, and the Party for Democracy and Peace, are deeply entangled.

These two issues need to be handled as a package ahead of the 21st legislative election in April next year.

Following the Cho Kuk scandal, the Moon Jae-in administration and the ruling Democratic Party are making a strong push for prosecution reform that includes the establishment of an independent investigative body.

On the other hand, the Bareunmirae Party, Justice Party and Daeahnshin Party are doing all they can to revise the election law to adopt a new proportional representation system in order to survive next year’s general election.

The main opposition LKP is desperately opposing the establishment of an investigative body and the revision of election law as the party regards them as the long-term power plan of pan-progressives.

In the present situation, none of them are negotiable.

President Moon Jae-in and LKP leader Hwang Kyo-ahn must make political decisions. Hwang should stop the fasting and the president should accept the talks with the leader of the main opposition party.

They must put the pending issues on the negotiating table to achieve a political compromise.

The two main parties, the DP and LKP, should carefully prepare for justifications and alternatives for Moon and Hwang to make political decisions.

Democratic politics is not about “all or nothing”. Political compromise is more urgent than ever.

Once again, we urge the opposition leader to stop fasting and request Moon to accept the talks.

#Hwang Kyo-ahn #talk #GSOMIA #fast #hunger strike