(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporters Park Kyung-jeong, Park Soo-yoon, and Choi Pyeong-cheon = On the 26th, when Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party raised the suspicion that President Lee Jae-myung's wife Kim Hye-kyung played golf with a famous professional golfer on the 20th, the Blue House, the ruling party, and the People Power Party were engaged in a battle all day long.
While Rep. Joo claimed that First Lady Kim participated in 'Emperor Golf', the Blue House defined this as a false fact, and the Democratic Party of Korea threatened to file a complaint against Rep. Joo. In response, Rep. Joo announced that he would file a false accusation and file a complaint.
Rep. Joo wrote on Facebook this morning, "On the 20th, when 19 people were killed in the fire in Yeoksam-dong, Mrs. Kim played emperor golf accompanied by a famous professional golfer. She enjoyed a three-person golf game at Taereung CC and even opened an emperor clubhouse exclusively for the president."
He continued, "Field lessons with world-class professional golfers cost tens of millions of won, but who paid for that? One man also played golf, and Lee Jae-myung's family's private use of military facilities is a crime."
Then, the Democratic Party pointed out in a written briefing under the name of floor spokesperson Lee Joo-hee, "Taereung CC is operated by the Armed Forces Welfare Corps, but it is a golf course that civilians can also make reservations for," and "It is absurd to call (the use of Taereung CC) 'private use of military facilities.'"
Spokesperson Lee emphasized, “Who wrote this absurd novel?” and “Adding provocative modifiers does not make the suspicions true.”
The Blue House also refuted Rep. Joo's claims, calling them "false facts."
Regarding the report containing Rep. Joo's claims, the Blue House said in a notice in the name of the Office of Senior Secretary for Public Relations and Communication, "'Quote reporting', which takes a politician's one-sided claims that are not based on facts and does not verify the minimum facts, is an act of neglecting the media's responsibility for verification."
He then requested, “Please be careful when reporting.”
After the Blue House's statement, Rep. Joo released a 1 minute and 37 second video on Facebook with subtitles stating that the filming location was Taereung Golf Course and the filming date was October 20th.
The video shows a woman taking golf lessons.
In another post posted on Facebook, Rep. Joo called the Blue House's position "control of the press" and asked, "Is it okay to ruin the level of press freedom like this?"
In addition, he said, “(The Blue House) closed its mouth on really important facts,” and asked, “So, did Kim Hye-kyung play golf or not?”
In a comment, Cha Ho, spokesperson for the New Reform Party, said, "(Blue House)'s statement is read as a threat, not an explanation," and demanded, "The Blue House should first reveal Ms. Kim's schedule and whether she will bear the cost on the 20th."
The controversy over Ms. Kim's golf even spread to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit of state affairs.
When Rep. Joo attempted to release a related video at the event, the Democratic Party's Judiciary Committee Chairman Seo Young-kyo stopped him.
Rep. Kim Eui-gyeom, the ruling party's secretary on the Legislative and Judiciary Committee, said, "It is an unidentified video, and it is not clear whether (the person filming it) was a paparazzi or a stalker, so it is unsuitable for the inspection of state affairs in terms of content and form." He added, "I suggest that the chairman not play (the video)."
When Chairman Seo did not allow the video to be released, Rep. Joo raised his voice, saying, "Pro golfer Lydia Go accompanied her, and it is a scene where (Ms. Kim) is receiving field lessons. If we can't play it here, we will release it outside."
However, Lydia Go posted a post on her SNS and said, "The article reported has nothing to do with me," and "I was attending the sponsor's official event schedule on the date mentioned in the article."
Rep. Joo urged Oh Dong-woon, head of the Senior Public Officials Crime Investigation Office, who appeared during the National Assembly audit, to investigate, saying, "Isn't it a problem that Kim Hye-kyung and her family's acquaintances are using the matter as they please without the President?"
Director Oh replied, “The case has not yet been filed,” and “Once it is filed, we will handle it in accordance with the law and principles.”
The Democratic Party eventually announced through a press notice, "We plan to soon file a complaint against Rep. Joo as he continues to spread false information about the president's family."
Rep. Kim held a press conference with Democratic Party members from the Judiciary Committee and said, "Congressman Joo distributed a video featuring Lydia Go to the media and hastily deleted that part," and added, "We will take strong legal action as he insulted Lydia Go and the overall state administration."
Rep. Joo posted again on Facebook and countered, saying, "Don't get into trouble as a companion." He added, "The video shows Hye-kyung Kim receiving golf lessons, so if you're proud, you can reveal who she is."
Regarding the Democratic Party's announcement that it would file a complaint for spreading false information, he said, "The Democratic Party confessed that they did not allow the Legislative and Judiciary Committee to play the 'Emperor Kim Hye-kyung Lesson' video," and added, "They said they would report me, but I plan to file a counter-accusation as a false accusation."
