Lee Jae-myung on 'No-Look Handshake' Controversy: "Today, I Fist-Bumped Before Washing Hands in the Bathroom... Sorry About That"

On the 9th, Lee Jae-myung and Park Yong-jin met at CBS Radio's 'Party Leader Debate'
Lee Jae-myung: "I was focused elsewhere that day, so I couldn't show enough courtesy... I think you might have felt disappointed"
Park Yong-jin: "More than feeling hurt, I was worried people might misunderstand"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Lee Jae-myung, a candidate running for the Democratic Party of Korea's party leader election, apologized to candidate Park Yong-jin on the 9th for the 'no-look handshake' (shaking hands without looking at the other person), saying, "I was focused on something else that day and did not show proper courtesy," and expressed, "I'm sorry."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the day, candidate Lee mentioned the 'no-look handshake' controversy himself just before the full debate during the 'Democratic Party of Korea Party Leader Candidate Invitation Debate' held on CBS Radio.

Candidate Lee said, "Today (before the debate started), I met candidate Park in the restroom and greeted him, but I did not shake hands when entering here (the studio), so I am worried that it might cause issues in the video," starting the conversation.

In response, candidate Park explained in detail how the misunderstanding after the no-look handshake was resolved, saying, "In the restroom, I extended my hand to candidate Lee, who had not yet washed his hands, and candidate Lee said, 'Oh, I'm sorry,' and gave me a fist bump."

He also created a warm atmosphere by saying, "(If I had) grabbed his hand firmly, (candidate Lee) had not washed yet."

Candidate Lee said, "Anyway, I was focused on something else that day and did not show proper courtesy, so I apologize," adding, "You must have been quite upset, but I will take better care from now on."

Earlier, on the 7th, during the joint speech event for the party leader election held in Jeju, candidate Lee was criticized for the 'no-look handshake' after he extended only his hand to candidate Park, who offered a handshake, while his eyes were fixed on his mobile phone without looking. In a press conference, when asked about this, Representative Park said, "I think he was probably searching for something important."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.