Jang Dong-hyuk's indefinite hunger strike is not merely a protest or an emotional gesture. It is a high-risk, high-reward political pivot he has chosen to regain leadership. [Photo=Yonhap News]

As backlash intensified within the party during the disciplinary proceedings against Han Dong-hoon, Jang Dong-hyuk opted for a procedural delay through a rehearing. This was not a concession born of pressure, but rather the most politically stable decision, one that dispersed responsibility while compelling the party in question to make a choice.

Had the disciplinary action been pushed through immediately, Jang Dong-hyuk would have borne all the blame individually. Conversely, the delay left a justification of "an opportunity was given," transforming subsequent outcomes into consequences of the structure rather than personal arbitrariness.

And his next move was the hunger strike.

An indefinite hunger strike is not merely a protest or an emotional gesture. It is a high-risk, high-reward political pivot he has chosen to regain leadership.

With this choice, he has moved from a managerial position to a combative one. He has redefined himself not as a representative mediating internal party conflicts, but as a figure standing at the forefront of the struggle against the ruling party.

The effect of the hunger strike is clear. Firstly, it shifts the focus of the debate. Instead of the legitimacy of the disciplinary process or internal power struggles, the question of "what is being done with one's body on the line?" takes center stage.

From this moment on, any force attacking Jang Dong-hyuk risks appearing not as a political opponent, but as a ruthless entity demeaning self-sacrifice. This creates a structure where the cost of criticism escalates rapidly.

Secondly, the hunger strike creates an agenda. Even without uttering a word, his very presence becomes a message. Jang Dong-hyuk is no longer a representative who reacts; he becomes the subject of news reports.

He stands at the center of headlines and serves as a benchmark for interpretation. Cooperation with the New Reform Party is also tied into the 'Jang Dong-hyuk-centric narrative of struggle,' allowing him to act as a link in the opposition's fight.

Thirdly, this choice removes the most damaging frame of "a representative who does nothing." In politics, incompetence is fatal, but controversy is evidence of survival. The very fact that his hunger strike is being criticized is proof that he remains at the center of the political arena.

Of course, a hunger strike is risky. Accusations of it being "excessive" or a "stunt" may follow. However, Jang Dong-hyuk has already calculated. He judges that the symbolic capital accumulated through action, even while enduring criticism, is greater than the political stamina eroded by inaction. This choice is not a strategy relying on sympathy, but a method of visually demonstrating leadership.

The picture Jang Dong-hyuk is painting now is clear:

I did not evade responsibility,

I did not postpone my decision,

And I am still fighting.

The hunger strike is a means, not an end. Through this means, he is once again fixing his message: the image of himself at the center of the struggle against the ruling party.

And in politics, whoever first paints this picture ultimately leads the game.

※ Columns by external contributors may differ from the editorial direction of this publication.

◆ Professor Shim Kyu-jin

Assistant Professor, Department of Digital Media, IE University, Spain. He previously served as a policy advisor to the Ministry of National Defense and head of the Data Lab at the Yoido Institute, and has worked as a full-time professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and an assistant professor at Singapore Management University. His books include 'K-Drama Yoon Suk-yeol' and 'Hyper Gender.'