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Former AI secretary faces backlash for handshake etiquette at Busan market while campaigning

Published: 30 Apr. 2026, 17:11

Democratic Party's candidate for Busan's Buk-A constituency, Ha Jung-woo, allegedly rubbing and flicking his hands after greeting store owners at Gupo Market in Busan on April 29. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Former presidential AI secretary Ha Jung-woo, running for a National Assembly seat in Busan’s Buk-A constituency, is under fire after footage of him rubbing and flicking his hands after shaking hands with merchants at a Busan market, which opponents attacked as "treating voters like insects."

Ha, on the other hand, explained that his hands had "gone numb from shaking hundreds of people's hands."

The scene unfolded Wednesday after Ha attended a Democratic Party (DP) talent recruitment event at the National Assembly and then visited Gupo Market in Busan’s Buk District as part of his first local campaign schedule. Cameras caught him appearing to rub both hands together or shake them out after shaking hands with merchants.

The footage immediately drew attacks from the People Power Party (PPP) and other conservative rivals.

“There was a scene yesterday where former senior secretary Ha shook hands with a few young merchants at the market and then suddenly shook out his hand as if something filthy had gotten on it,” said the PPP's supreme council member Kim Jae-won at the party’s Supreme Council meeting. “Former senior secretary Ha is someone who treats voters like insects.

Democratic Party's candidate for Busan's Buk-A constituency, Ha Jung-woo, allegedly rubbing and flicking his hands after greeting store owners at Gupo Market in Busan on April 29. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The opposition's spokesperson also went after Ha, as politicians visiting the local market is a staple of Korean campaigning, meant to relate to the local voters.

“His first political move was to keep wiping his hands after shaking hands with merchants,” PPP Spokesperson Cho Yong-sool said Thursday. “I cannot help but ask whether he also wiped his hands like that after shaking hands with powerful figures such as President Lee Jae Myung and party leader Jung Chung-rae.”

Cho added, “He cannot win voters with the politics of a nobleman who seems to think he has made it.”

Han Dong-hoon, the former Justice Minister and former leader of the PPP, who is fighting for Busan's Buk-A constituency seat as an independent candidate, also joined in slamming his opponent.

“Is it the DP’s view that ignoring Buk District citizens does not affect the overall trend?" he asked in a Facebook post, referring to the DP's deputy spokesperson allegedly commenting on air that Ha's incident won't change the voter trend.

Democratic Party's candidate for Busan's Buk-A constituency, Ha Jung-woo, greets people at the Gupo Market in Busan on April 29. [YONHAP]

PPP candidate for the Busan Buk-A constituency, Park Min-shik, said the actions show his arrogance.

"The incident shows that a deeply rooted sense of elitism and arrogance that treats longtime local residents as a different class surfaced without him noticing it."

As the controversy spread, Ha explained that it was due to his hands getting numb.

“It was my first time shaking hands with hundreds, nearly 1,000 people in a day,” Ha said in a press briefing at the Busan City Council on Thursday. “By the end, my hand had gone numb. I think I unconsciously did this.”

Democratic Party's candidate for Busan's Buk-A constituency, Ha Jung-woo, left, hugs Han Dong-hoon, the former Justice Minister and independent candidate for Busan's Buk-A constituency, at the Gupo Market in Busan on April 29. [YONHAP]

Ha rejected the idea that he had meant to demean anyone.

“If I had any sense, would I have done that?” Ha said, adding that he shook hands with merchants wearing wet gloves.

He also accused his rivals of turning the moment into a political attack.

“This makes me think this is what negative real-world politics is,” Ha said. “I ran into former [PPP] leader Han Dong-hoon yesterday, and he was actually the first to say, ‘Let’s do this constructively.’ So I wonder whether there is really any need to take it this far.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU, JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]