Lawmaker Shin Dong-wook Sparks Controversy with 'Fighting' Gesture with Democratic Party Candidate During Busan By-election Rally

Lawmaker Shin Dong-wook, who was supporting People Power Party candidate Park Min-sik in the June 3 Busan Buk-gap National Assembly by-election, has become embroiled in controversy after a scene of him exchanging a 'fighting' gesture with Democratic Party candidate Ha Jung-woo was captured.

Amidst the confrontation between People Power Party candidate Park Min-sik and independent candidate Han Dong-hoon over unification, Lawmaker Shin Dong-wook, who was campaigning for Park, encountered Democratic Party candidate Ha Jung-woo at a restaurant in Busan. Shin's side explained it as a 'greeting of encouragement at a restaurant'.

Some criticized Shin, a supreme council member not aligned with the party's mainstream faction, suggesting his actions were intended to block the return of Han Dong-hoon, who is reportedly considered effectively expelled by the party. The People Power Party had been working towards the unification of candidates Park Min-sik and Han Dong-hoon.