The politics of handshaking

Pain caused by handshaking is an occupational hazard for politicians, who shake many hands especially in election season. Park Geun-hye, acting chairwoman of the ruling Saenuri Party and head of its election committee, has recently shown p on campaign trail with her right hand wrapped in a bandage. Frequent handshaking caused it to get swollen. She had suffered the same fate in the campaign period for the 2004 general elections and the party’s 2007 presidential nomination race. Frequent handshaking can cause a hand ligament to be extended and infected. Women’s hands are weaker than men’s.

Handshaking is a basic ritual of greeting. Prehistoric people are known to have shaken hands to show that they were holding no weapons. Animals have their own ways of expressing intent not to hurt another party. Gorillas shake their heads back and forth while standing still. Chimpanzees tap their hands together in a handshake-like way of greeting.

Former President Kim Young-sam gripped the other person`s hand tightly due to his habit of firm handshaking developed while he was pro-democracy activist. In contrast, guests visiting former President Kim Dae-jung were asked by his secretaries to hold his hand lightly. While the “power ranger” handshake with an excessively strong grip is not good, the “dead fish” handshake, or holding the other side’s hand too lightly as if touching a dead fish, gives the impression of insincerity. Eye contact is more important in handshaking than the intensity of the grips No handshake is more impolite than one in which one person looks at someone else while shaking someone`s hand. Park advised her party’s political debutants to “maintain eye contact for the duration of a handshake and not to look the other way no matter how busy.”

The first politician to use handshakes in an election campaign was said to be Stephen Douglas, who lost to Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 U.S. presidential election. Before Douglas, politicians did not use the strategy of bodily contact in campaigns. Park may feel frustrated by her inability to take full advantage of physical touches, which are necessary for campaigning. Yet her hands wrapped in bandages could arise sympathy among voters.

Editorial Writer Song Pyeong-in (pisong@donga.com)