Ha Jung-woo, former senior presidential secretary for AI future planning, who is running in the Busan Buk-gap by-election, was mired in controversy from his first event over "wiping his hands after a handshake." He has the backing of the Democratic Party of Korea, but many said it exposed the limits of a political newcomer.
On the afternoon of the 29th, the former senior secretary visited Gupo Market to listen to public sentiment. After submitting a resignation to the presidential office and holding a Democratic Party talent recruitment event, it was the first public schedule carried out immediately upon arriving in Busan. Explaining why he visited Gupo Market, the former senior secretary said, "I thought it was the most symbolic place," and added, "I thought it was only right to first meet my hometown residents and greet them by saying, 'The son of Buk-gu has returned.'"
But while greeting market merchants, the former senior secretary was captured on video shaking a few merchants' hands and then wiping his hands. The scene sparked controversy on several online communities. On one online community, a post even asked AI such as Gemini or ChatGPT about the meaning of the behavior. Most interpretations and reactions were negative.
The scene that stirred controversy overnight on online communities also became a hot topic in politics. Park Min-sik, former Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs from the People Power Party, who is preparing to run in Busan Buk-gap, wrote on Facebook on the 30th, "Yesterday the former senior secretary visited Gupo Market. A hard-to-believe scene was caught on camera," adding, "Right after shaking hands with merchants, it looked like he kept wiping his hands as if something unbearable had gotten on them."
He added, "The hearts of residents who saw that video are being torn apart," and said, "What kind of hands are theirs? They come to the market at 4 a.m., trim vegetables and handle fish, pay their children's tuition with those hands and slip allowance to their grandchildren, and over time those hands have hardened in that place for life. They are the hands that have supported our neighborhood, Busan, and this country."
He went on, "The senior secretary has been pushing a 'Buk-gu native' marketing campaign by insisting on forced ties," adding, "If he were truly from Buk-gu, he would have known in his heart that the merchants' rough palms are a tearful medal that has protected Buk-gu." He added, "Someone who treats residents' hands as filth cannot represent Buk-gu."
Kim Jong-hyuk, a former People Power Party supreme council member considered close to that faction, also wrote on Facebook that day, "At first I thought, 'Maybe something got on his hand or there was a reason,' but other videos show that right after shaking hands with another merchant he rubs his hands as if washing them," adding, "He says 'sister' and 'brother' with his mouth, but does he mean inside that he feels uneasy because he touched their hands?"
He continued, "What's even stranger is that he never did that when he went to the press room and shook hands with reporters," adding, "If he thinks of himself as an elite who shouldn't hold hands with market merchants and as someone especially clean, it would be better for him to stay at the presidential office discussing grand and lofty things like AI sovereignty and 150 trillion won in investment."
Han Dong-hoon, the former leader, also shared on Facebook a video of a Democratic Party of Korea deputy spokesperson saying the former senior secretary's behavior "does not affect the overall trend," and criticized, "Is the Democratic Party's view that 'even if you look down on Buk-gu citizens, it does not affect the overall trend'?" He added, "What on earth is this 'overall trend' that the Democratic Party thinks makes it okay to disregard citizens?"