Lee Jun-seok Refuses Handshake, Bae Hyun-jin Slaps Shoulder... Another Awkward Conflict Exposure

Lee Jun-seok and Bae Hyun-jin Expose Repeated Conflicts at the Supreme Council Meeting

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, is pushing away the hand of Supreme Council member Bae Hyun-jin, who offered a handshake while attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 23rd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Conflicts between Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, and Bae Hyun-jin, a Supreme Council member from the same party, have been repeatedly exposed in the media. So-called 'no-look handshake' and 'handshake refusal' moments were captured, revealing the deteriorating relationship as the two repeatedly clashed over party issues.

On the morning of the 23rd, around 9 a.m., at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Lee refused the handshake offered by Bae. Bae, who had arrived earlier and was seated, approached Lee and extended his hand, but Lee rejected it.

On the 23rd, Bae Hyun-jin, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, lightly tapped the shoulder of Representative Lee Jun-seok while attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly. Representative Lee refused the handshake offered by Supreme Council Member Bae as a greeting while attending the meeting. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

After greeting other Supreme Council members, Bae lightly tapped Lee's left shoulder as he returned, but Lee remained unresponsive.

A similar scene occurred earlier on the 16th. Bae offered a handshake, but Lee responded with a 'no-look handshake,' extending his hand without looking at Bae.

There were also instances of raised voices between the two. At the Supreme Council meeting held on the 20th, when Lee declared, "From today, I will not discuss current issues in closed meetings by exercising the chairperson's authority," Bae raised his voice during his remarks, pointing out, "Instead of not discussing current issues, closed meetings should be more strictly monitored so that necessary internal party discussions can continue healthily."

Meanwhile, recently, the two repeatedly clashed in closed meetings over the direction of the party's Innovation Committee operations and the appointment of Supreme Council members from the People Party quota. Especially after internal leadership conflicts were specifically reported through the media, the conflict level seems to have escalated as the two publicly argued over responsibility for leaks.