Seongnam mayor and potential presidential candidate Lee Jae-myeong ended his 11-day hunger strike at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul last Friday after the main opposition The Minjoo Party of Korea leader Kim Chong-in promised to resolve a controversial plan to adjust local government subsidies.

Lee started the protest on June 7, calling for the repeal of the local government finance reorganization plan that was announced in April during the national fiscal strategy meeting. 

The mayor has vehemently opposed the plan, including the adjustment of government subsidies, so that less-wealthy local governments would receive more grants from the central government while wealthier ones would receive less.

Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province, one of Seoul’s major satellite cities with a population of about 1 million, is among the wealthy local governments.

Seongnam’s Mayor Lee said the plan was “undemocratic, as it would effectively make local governments lose their autonomy by eventually making them financially dependent on the central government.”

Moreover, if the financial reorganization plan gets approval from the National Assembly, Seongnam will be unable to finance its welfare programs that include financially supporting youth amid high unemployment, offering free school uniforms to students and financially helping mothers with postnatal care, city officials said.

The welfare programs pushed by Seongnam were a topic of controversy as the central government and the ruling Saenuri Party have opposed the projects, asserting the city programs were politically motivated and a waste of tax.

During his hunger strike, Lee stated, “One must not compromise, but fight putting one’s life at stake when fighting with a robber,” referring to the central government. He added, “I will not stop fighting against those that make life a living hell.” 

Furthermore, when Mayor Lee opposed the local government finance reorganization plan, the Ministry of Government Administration unprecedentedly requested his schedule data of a select 90-day period from about 2 1/2 years ago. However, Lee rejected the request by responding that he would “only submit the data if President Park Geun-hye submits her schedule data of seven hours (when the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster was taking place).”

Despite Lee’s somewhat extreme stances, his popularity among the public has increased.

According to this month’s poll by research company Real Meter, Lee ranked No. 3 in the public popularity of potential presidential candidates, which is a great jump from 1 percent in April last year.

Lee’s increasing popularity is attributed to his blatant opposition to government policies amid mounting public discontent with the central government, said political commentators.

Lee’s popularity particularly increased during his sit-in at Gwanghwamun Square as some politicians and citizens visited him. Even the main opposition Minjoo Party leader Kim Chong-in visited him twice, and Kim eventually persuaded Lee to end the hunger strike by stating he would push for a solution at the National Assembly.

Lee said, “There was no reason for me to continue the hunger strike as party leader Kim Chong-in promised to solve the problem.” He added, “Although my hunger strike ends, my democratic fight for local autonomy will continue.”

Born to a poor working family, the 52-year-old Lee started to work at age 12 at various factories in Seongnam City, where he would eventually become injured, leaving him legally disabled with a stunted arm.

However, he continued his studies by earning a general equivalency diploma for middle school and high school then later graduating from Chung-Ang University majoring in law.

He passed the state-administered bar examination and started work as a human rights lawyer, passing on the chance to become a prosecutor or judge. Lee was later elected mayor of Seongnam City in 2010 and reelected in 2014.

City officials and residents are now paying keen attention to whether or not he will decide to run in the 2017 presidential election.

By Park Joung-kyu (fob140@heraldcorp.com) and Lee Seo-young (seoyounglee@heraldcorp.com)