In a surprise move earlier this week, feminist politician Shin Ji-ye crossed party lines and joined the presidential campaign of conservative People Power Party candidate Yoon Suk-yeol. A long-time friend believes Shin’s move is driven by a personal vendetta.

“I think she’s doing this to get back at (leader of People Power Party) Lee Jun-seok. My view is that she wants to get back at Lee for lambasting her, making fun of her on national TV,” American Green Party member Austin Bashore told The Korea Herald.

Lee and Shin clashed on issues such as gender conflict during a TV debate earlier this year. Lee, who became the youngest leader in the history of the main opposition party earlier this year, is known for speaking out against feminism and is popular among young men who consider themselves to be anti-feminists.

“We did talk about Lee Jun-seok and Yoon Suk-yeol and their strange relationship. I feel like Yoon could have contacted her to pretty much finish off Lee from the People Power Party,” he said.

Bashore met Shin as a member of the Green Party of the United States. He claims the two have been friends for over five years now.

“When I came to Korea, they needed a liaison between the Asia-Pacific Green Parties of Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the US. That put me in a close link with the Green Party of Korea,” he said.

Having worked on international solidary projects and issues surrounding the deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system in Korea, the two became close friends, he explained.

“I don’t know why she did it because I just met her two weeks ago. I just went over to her house for a friendship brunch and as friends we discussed politics.

“We discussed all the different candidates. We joked about supporting Huh Kyung-young. We talked seriously about Sim Sang-jung.”

Bashore added that he shared his concerns to Shin about how Yoon would be a terrible candidate for workers and minorities in Korea.

“I’m extremely disappointed. I feel as if my friend had just died.

“All of her co-workers were blindsided -- all the Green Party members were like, ‘What is going on?’ She told nobody.”