Lee’s Golf Course Visit: Opposition Calls It ‘Emperor Golf’; Ruling Party Says It Was Preparation for U.S. Diplomacy

[Financial News] The ruling and opposition parties are sparring after reports emerged that President Lee Jae-myung visited a golf course with his family on the 10th, when a ceiling collapsed at a commercial building in Daegu. The People Power Party urged the president to disclose how the accident was handled, saying he had enjoyed so-called “emperor golf” while a major accident was unfolding. The Democratic Party of Korea, by contrast, defended the visit as preparation for diplomacy with the United States, with golf diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump in mind.
People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Building on the 11th and disclosed a tip that President Lee had played golf the previous day at the Taereung golf course in Seoul. “A convoy of vehicles believed to be part of the president’s security detail was spotted heading to the golf course and then leaving at around 4:49 p.m.,” Joo said. “They must disclose how the response to the collapse was handled on October 10, minute by minute and second by second.” He also noted that President Lee’s schedule had drawn controversy during the fire at the National Information Resources Service and the disappearance of Navy personnel, criticizing him by saying, “This is already the third time.”
The Democratic Party of Korea responded that President Lee’s golf outing should be understood in a diplomatic context. Party spokesperson Jo Gye-won said at the National Assembly that day, “Didn’t the president say that it might be necessary to meet (at a golf course) in the future for diplomatic matters with President Trump and things like that?” He added, “I ask that you understand it in that context.”
Cheong Wa Dae also acknowledged that President Lee had visited the Taereung golf course with his family the previous day, while maintaining that there had been no problem with the response to the accident. In a statement that day, the Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson’s office said, “President Lee visited the Taereung golf course with his family on the 10th” and “was briefed on the ceiling collapse at a commercial building in Daegu while there.” It continued, “He then spoke directly with acting National Police Agency Commissioner General Kim Jong-cheol and received a detailed briefing on the casualty situation, whether there had been any fatalities, and the severity of the injuries. He instructed the relevant agencies to make every effort to rescue people and to ensure the accident was dealt with swiftly and safely.” The office also explained that, as a rule, the president’s undisclosed engagements and private holiday schedule are not confirmed, but that it had made an unusual disclosure to prevent unnecessary controversy. It emphasized, “We regret that the president’s private, undisclosed schedule is being used for political sparring.”

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