Joo Jin-woo: “I could apologize to Lydia Ko if I met her privately” ... Ruling party: “Right at the level of ‘TaJinYo’”

[Financial News] People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo, who raised suspicions that First Lady Kim Hye-kyung had played so-called “emperor golf” with professional golfer Lydia Ko, said he could apologize to Ko in private but would not issue a public apology. He claimed the reason was that “the demand for an apology is a left-wing frame.” The Democratic Party of Korea ultimately filed a police complaint against Joo on charges including disseminating false information.

The controversy began at a parliamentary audit by the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 26th. Joo claimed that “at around 11:05 a.m. on the 20th, First Lady Kim played ‘emperor golf’ with Lydia Ko at Taereung Country Club (CC).”
He raised suspicions, saying, “In Lydia Ko’s case, the fee for a single on-course lesson alone runs into tens of millions of won. She is the daughter-in-law of the chairman of a certain conglomerate. If someone from a family with so many government issues at stake gave the First Lady a free lesson, wouldn’t that raise legal issues under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act or regarding the crime of receiving money for arranging favors?”
Joo later posted footage from the golf course at the time on YouTube and social media (SNS), and also used photos showing Lydia Ko competing.
That day, Lydia Ko rebutted the claims on her social media, saying, “The reports published today are not true and have absolutely nothing to do with me.” She explained that on the 20th, when she was alleged to have played golf with the First Lady, she had been attending an official event hosted by a sponsor. She also raised the possibility of legal action over the dissemination of false information.

As the controversy erupted, Joo described the claims involving Lydia Ko as “some errors” during a YouTube livestream, but did not apologize. After a press conference the following morning, reporters asked whether he intended to apologize to Ko. He refused, saying, “The Democratic Party’s ‘apologize’ frame is nothing more than an attempt to muddy the waters.”
The ruling party responded with a chorus of denunciations, saying, “He has no sense of shame.” Democratic Party of Korea Supreme Council member Jeon Yong-gi criticized Joo, saying, “Lydia Ko, who has won Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals and spent her life building her name, has now been recorded in the National Assembly minutes as someone who gave preferential treatment to the First Lady because of Rep. Joo.”
He went on to criticize Joo’s politics as “exactly at the level of ‘TaJinYo’: stirring people up by smearing others with all kinds of labels, while turning a blind eye to his own wrongdoing.”
“TaJinYo” is short for “We Demand the Truth from Tablo.” It refers to a NAVER cafe launched in 2010 as well as the cyberbullying (online harassment) incident associated with it.
The group was formed in May 2010 and demanded the truth while claiming that Tablo of EPIK HIGH had forged his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University in the United States.
The operators and members who had disseminated false information were indicted on charges including defamation. The case concluded in 2013, when the Supreme Court handed down prison terms and suspended sentences.
Democratic Party of Korea floor spokesperson Lee Joo-hee also lambasted the claim, saying, “There is no facility called the ‘Imperial Clubhouse’ at Taereung CC. It is equally baseless to portray the use of a military-run golf course that civilians can also use as a crime.”
The Democratic Party filed a complaint against Joo with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on charges including defamation by stating falsehoods, alleging that he had repeatedly engaged in malicious attacks and taken steps to destroy evidence, including by deleting videos.
In response, Joo said, “If they played golf during the disaster, they should apologize to the people. Why are you telling me to apologize?” He said he would file a counter-complaint against President Lee and his wife on charges including dereliction of duty.

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