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Cheong Wa Dae chief of staff Moon Hee-sang and the Cheong Wa Dae senior secretary for Political Affairs, Yoo In-tae, visited on Sunday Grand National Party (GNP) leader Choe Byung-yul, who is now on a hunger strike, and talked with Choe for about 40 minutes. Moon and Yoo urged Choe to stop his stop his hunger strike, and asked him to help the National Assembly return to normal operation.
Choe said, however, that the country should get back on the right track before the National Assembly does, GNP spokesperson Park Jin said.
Former President Kim Young-sam also phoned Choe, and told him to take good care of his health, saying that he knows from personal experience that it takes nine months to recover one¡¯s strength after 23 days of fasting.
Lee Jae-oh, the secretary general of the GNP, joined Choe in a hunger strike on Sunday. Members of the district chapters nationwide began holding ¡°save-the-nation¡± marchs, holding placards calling for the special independent counsel to be approved.
Choe, in his fifth day of a hunger strike, taking only water and bamboo salt, began to show signs of wearing, having sunken cheeks. Choe has drinking mineral water with germanium, given to him by GNP lawmaker Park Chong-ung, Choe's secretarial staff said. Choe stopped shaving two days ago, in order to prevent damage to his skin.
Cho Boo-Young, vice speaker of the National Assembly, and lawmakers Lee Han-dong, Kang Sook-ja and Oh Jang-seop called Choe to offer words of encouragement. Lawmaker Chung Mong-joon visited Choe that afternoon. Choe's wife, Baek Young-ja, also came to see Choe with their grandchildren.
(Ahn Yong-kyun, agon@chosun.com )
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