Nose scratching, a brief chuckle... Questionable Lee Cheol-hee reaction during 'Moon-Lee meeting' briefing

After the meeting between President Moon Jae-in and Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, on the 26th, Cheong Wa Dae Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Lee Cheol-hee held a briefing. Photo by KTV YouTube capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] On the 26th, during a briefing at the Blue House following a meeting between President Moon Jae-in and Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Lee Cheol-hee attracted attention for his suspicious behavior, such as suddenly scratching his nose or making a 'tsk' sound with his tongue.

Lee attended the 50-minute meeting between President Moon and candidate Lee at Sangchunjae in the Blue House that morning. Afterwards, he introduced part of the conversation between the two through the briefing.

However, several actions Lee displayed during this process became a topic of discussion. While briefing, he repeatedly took a long breath with a 'sseup' sound or lowered his head while flicking his tongue, showing a different demeanor than usual during briefings.

In particular, while relaying the conversation that candidate Lee listened well to President Moon's policy speech and mostly agreed with it, he made a 'tsk' sound while scratching his nose.

Lee Cheol-hee, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House. / Photo by KTV YouTube Capture

Also, before relaying the conversation where candidate Lee apologized to President Moon for being harsh during the last presidential election, Lee Cheol-hee paused for a while, and when conveying the part where candidate Lee said, "Sometimes I'm surprised, but President Moon and I think very similarly," he laughed out loud.

Online, there was a heated debate about Lee Cheol-hee's behavior that day. Some netizens criticized him, saying it was inappropriate behavior for an official setting.

Netizens responded with comments such as, "Why laugh while relaying a conversation between the president and the next presidential candidate?" "It's disrespectful behavior," and "This is not a place to joke around officially."