Ha Jung-woo, former senior presidential secretary for AI and future planning and the Democratic Party of Korea's confirmed candidate for the Busan Buk-A district parliamentary by-election, was engulfed in a "hand-wiping" controversy immediately upon entering the race. The People Power Party (PPP) launched attacks such as "treating voters like insects," while the Democratic Party moved to defend the candidate. The Democratic Party, which must hold onto Buk-A, its only seat among Busan's 18 electoral districts, appeared to be rushing to contain the spread of the controversy.
A video showing Ha wiping his hands after shaking hands with merchants during a visit to Gupo Market in Buk-gu, Busan on the 29th spread online. In response, Park Chung-kwon, floor spokesperson of the PPP, composed an acrostic poem using Ha's name, criticizing, "'Ha'ving shaken hands with hundreds a day, he first wipes his hands; saying politics is new to him, he calls it a mistake; 'woo'hat we see is simply an unprepared candidate. He should just stick to what he was doing."
Park Min-sik, former minister of patriots and veterans affairs and a PPP candidate running in Buk-A, wrote on Facebook, "Those who shook hands with former Secretary Ha are not just voters to me, but family," adding, "It was an unconscious eruption of deep-rooted elitism and arrogance, a belief that he cannot mix with residents who have cultivated the region their whole lives."
Former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon also wrote on Facebook, "There were several scenes that would make people wonder whether he was truly meeting the merchants sincerely, whether he was meeting them with a truly humble attitude — scenes that would disappoint the public." Kim Jong-hyeok, a former supreme council member close to Han, pointed out, "At first, I thought something must have been on his hand or there was some reason, but after watching another video, he repeated the same behavior just before as well."
Ha explained that it was a simple incident by a rookie politician. At a press conference on the 30th, Ha said, "It was the first time I shook hands with hundreds, nearly a thousand people in a single day," explaining, "When it was all over, my hand was numb, and I think I unconsciously shook it like this." He then countered, "I thought, 'So this is what negative campaigning in real politics looks like.' Is there really a need to go this far? I wish we could talk more about the development of Buk-gu."
Secretary General Cho Seung-rae also addressed former PPP leader Han, saying, "It is hard to understand that someone who even served as party leader would start with that kind of negative attack against a first-time politician," adding, "If he is a political senior, I hope he will show mature politics befitting a senior — engaging in dialogue and debate based on vision and policy."
The Democratic Party nominated former Secretary Ha for Busan Buk-A on the 30th. Chief Spokesperson Kang Jun-hyun said, "Ha graduated from elementary, middle and high school all in Busan's Buk-gu, making him a local native. We judged him to be the most suitable candidate to excellently succeed Rep. Jeon Jae-soo's constituency and serve as the driving force for victory in this Busan election."
