Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok raised his voice over the exclusion of Jeong Yi-han, a candidate running for Busan mayor, from television debates, saying "this unfairness must be corrected."
"Today he stopped eating. It's because of the decision by Busan MBC, KNN, CBS, and KBS to exclude him from all four mayoral debates," Lee wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
Lee particularly emphasized that the broadcasters had excluded Jeong from the debates citing "approval ratings," stressing that "the Reform Party, which received more than 3% of the vote in the previous presidential election and the proportional representation National Assembly election, qualifies as an invitee for debates organized by the National Election Commission."
"There's a half-joke young people often tell these days," he continued. "They say, 'I want to do an internship, but they're demanding experience. What am I supposed to do?'"
"Because they don't put you on the debate stage, there's no chance for your approval rating to rise, and because your approval rating is low, they don't put you on the debate stage," Lee pointed out. "Within this infinite loop, young voices are forever silenced."
Lee also noted that "in the 2018 Busan mayoral election, both Bareun Mirae Party candidate Lee Seong-kwon and the Justice Party candidate stood together on the debate stage despite by no means high approval ratings." He added, "That was the bottom line of fairness that Busan media held themselves to eight years ago."
"Why have the desk and chair of the debate hall, which were offered eight years ago, disappeared in front of young candidates in 2026?" he asked. "A city that offers one microphone and one chair when Busan's younger generation steps forward to work for Busan. That is the Busan culture I hope for."
He added, "I am ashamed of this reality that has driven a young politician — who just days ago was rushed to the emergency room after a beverage attack — to the point of going on a hunger strike."
Jeong began an indefinite hunger strike on the same day, arguing, "I am a candidate who meets all the legal requirements to participate in TV debates. Nevertheless, my legitimate rights have been completely blocked by the broadcasters' unilateral exclusion."
