Busan by-election candidate defends hand-wiping video as fatigue, not contempt

A Democratic Party of Korea candidate in the Busan by-election faced sharp criticism Thursday after video footage spread widely showing him rubbing his hands clean moments after greeting vendors at a local market.

The footage turned into a flashpoint in the contested race, with opposition figures framing the moment as evidence of elitism toward working-class voters — and drawing a swift denial from the candidate himself, according to The Korea Times.

Ha Jung-woo, a former senior presidential secretary for AI policy and future planning, visited Gupo Market in Busan's Buk District Wednesday as part of his campaign. Multiple videos captured him visibly rubbing and brushing his hands off immediately after shaking hands with merchants, the Korea Times reported.

The footage drew swift condemnation from conservative rivals Thursday. People Power Party Supreme Council member Kim Jae-won told a party meeting that Ha had "treated voters like insects," adding: "Former senior secretary Ha shook hands with a few market merchants, only to brush his hands off as if he had touched something filthy."

Former Veterans Affairs Minister Park Min-sik issued a sharper rebuke, framing the gesture as a sign of deeper attitudes. "The hands of the mothers at Gupo Market are not dirt to be brushed off, but a badge of honor that raised us," Park said, according to the Korea Times.

Han Dong-hoon, a former PPP leader running in the race as an independent candidate, took to Facebook to condemn the DPK's defense of Ha. "After hearing a DPK spokesperson dismiss this on television, I have to ask, does the party truly believe that ignoring Buk District people will not impact the overall race?" he wrote, the Korea Times reported.

Ha held a press conference at the Busan Metropolitan Council on Thursday and attributed the gesture to physical reflex rather than intent. "I shook hands with nearly a thousand people in a single day for the first time," he said. "My hands were cramping, so I made the gesture unconsciously." He also noted that some merchants wore wet gloves during the encounter.

Pro-Han lawmaker Park Jeong-hun questioned the DPK's candidate selection over the episode, saying, "Wiping his hands after greeting voters seems to be a reflex for him. Is this really the kind of candidate they chose to nominate?" The DPK characterized the criticism as an example of negative campaigning, the Korea Times reported.