South Koreans Say Bill Gates Is Rude After Shaking President Park Geun-Hye’s Hand
SOUTH KOREANS ARE CALLING BILLIONAIRE MICROSOFT FOUNDER BILL GATES RUDE FOR HE WAY HE SHOOK THE HAND OF SOUTH KOREA'S PRESIDENT PARK GEUN-HYE.
April 23, 2013 12:59 PM EDT
South Koreans are calling billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates rude for he way he shook the hand of South Korea's President Park Geun-hye.
Bills Gates met with the president of South Korea on Monday. What is typically seen in the United States as a friendly gesture was seen in South Korea as rude. Bills Gates approached the President with one hand in his pocket, his suit jacket unbuttoned. Gates extended only one hand to greet Park Geun-hye.
In South Korea, the one-handed hand shake is seen as rude and a sign that you are superior to the person in front of you, according to ABC News.
ABC News spoke with the Secretary General at the Korean National Assembly, Chung Jin-suk, who said, "Perhaps it was his all-American style but an open jacket with hand in pocket? That was way too casual. It was very regretful."
ABC News also reported that this is the second time Bill Gates was called out for his rude handshake. "Gates had met with two other previous South Korean presidents: Kim Dae-jung and Lee Myung-Bak. He apparently gave the proper handshake with both hands to the late Kim in 2002 but was spotted giving an improper shake to President Lee in 2008. That also became a subject of debate."
Social Media sites like twitter were full of comments about Bill Gates' rude handshake.
Twitter user PK writes, "Don't think it was intentional. Bill Gates is just a nerd. Ignorant. It was rude though."
"Hey SKorea, you may be facing NKorea nuclear missiles but by all means obsess about Bill Gates' handshake etiquette," Says username Only4RM.
There are no reports saying Bill Gates or the President of South Korea have made comments about Gates' rude handshake.
President Park Geun-Hye is scheduled to visit the US and speak with President Obama on May 7.
