The leader of the Justice Party, Cho Kuk, has said of his first face-to-face meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol in five years at an official event, “I thought his smile was a bit exaggerated and forced.”
On May 16th, during his appearance on the YouTube channel Kim Eo Jun’s News Factory, Cho said, “President Yoon had a very exaggerated smile from about 12-16 inches away,” and “We made eye contact and were together for about 2-3 seconds.”
Previously, Cho had attended the Buddha’s Birthday ceremony held at a special altar in front of the main hall of Jogyesa Temple.
As he was leaving, he exchanged glances and shook hands with President Yoon, but it was reported that they did not have a special conversation. This was the first time President Yoon and Cho had met at an official event since July 2019.
Cho explained the situation at the time, saying, “As President Yoon was coming over to shake hands, he said ‘nice to meet you’ to other people, and they responded ‘nice to meet you,’ and when he came to me, he looked me straight in the eye and said ‘nice to meet you.'”
He added, “I didn’t speak, I spoke with my eyes,” and “I think President Yoon must have felt uncomfortable as well.” He then added, “Since the Justice Party is one of the three parties in the National Assembly, won’t you see that kind of scene more often?”
On the other hand, Cho commented on the speculation that former People’s Power Emergency Committee Chairman Han Dong Hoon might become the party leader, saying, “I guess President Yoon will also shake hands with Chairman Han, and I wonder if he will make that face. It should be interesting.”
