After Shaking Hands with Moon, Vice President Harris Wipes Hands... Sparks Debate Among US Netizens

▲President Moon Jae-in (left) and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (right) shaking hands. [Source=White House YouTube capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] On the 21st (local time), U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met with President Moon Jae-in in Washington DC, and a debate erupted among American netizens over her action of placing her hand on her clothing after shaking hands.

Some criticized Vice President Harris's behavior as "wiping her hand after shaking hands," accusing it of being disrespectful to the foreign head of state, while others defended it as a "natural action with no intention" and argued that it was not an issue to be concerned about.

President Moon, who visited the U.S. for the Korea-U.S. summit, met with Vice President Harris in the event hall of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House that morning.

At the event hall, President Moon spoke in front of the podium and the press alongside Vice President Harris. He said, "I was impressed by the pearl necklace campaign that many people participated in on social media at the time of your inauguration as Vice President," adding, "I believe it was an expression of affection and support for you, who have led the overcoming of invisible discrimination and glass ceilings."

Vice President Harris, listening beside him, laughed aloud.

Vice President Harris responded, "The place where the largest number of Korean expatriates reside is my hometown, California," and added, "Korean Americans across the United States are active as leaders in various fields such as medicine, academia, entertainment, economy, and politics."

▲A scene of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (right), who is causing controversy among American netizens, touching her jacket after shaking hands with President Moon. [Source=White House YouTube capture]

After both President Moon and Vice President Harris finished their remarks, they moved to the balcony connected to the event hall, where they had a conversation and took commemorative photos.

Immediately after the remarks, a debate among netizens continued over the handshake between President Moon and Vice President Harris.

Vice President Harris, smiling, extended her hand first, and right after shaking hands, she placed her right hand on the pocket above her jacket and gently stroked down. At that time, Vice President Harris was turning her body to move and was still smiling broadly.

The scene could be seen as wiping her hand on her clothing or as a habitual action of adjusting her outfit.

Some netizens criticized on Twitter and other platforms, calling it "rude and racist," "very embarrassing behavior," "a refusal to shake hands," and questioned, "Is Korea no longer an ally?"

One netizen also wrote, "You can't wipe viruses on your pants."

In response, Fox News, a conservative outlet critical of the current U.S. administration, reported that "Harris wiped her hand after greeting the Korean president and faced backlash on Twitter."

However, on the video posted on YouTube, many comments refuted the criticism, saying, "It is a natural action after shaking hands and not a serious matter," "She also wiped her hand on her sleeve before shaking hands," and "It's not serious. It was just a somewhat tense situation (due to the event). That's all."

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