Park Ji-won hits back at Joo Jin-woo’s attack over Lee’s “imperial golf”: “Were they supposed to take a taxi?”—Facebook edit sparks untimely controversy

[Financial News] Park Ji-won of the Democratic Party of Korea and Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party clashed over allegations of so-called “imperial golf” involving President Lee Jae Myung. The controversy intensified after Joo took issue with Park’s editing of a post explaining the matter, as the two traded claims over whether the president’s eldest son, Dong-ho, and his wife had joined the golf outing and helicopter ride.
On the 29th, Joo held a press conference at the National Assembly and raised allegations that, during a summer vacation last August, President Lee and his wife and their eldest son and his wife played golf together at Hansan Dae CC, inside the naval base in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, and traveled by helicopter to their accommodation on Jeodo.
That same day, Park wrote on Facebook, “Joo’s golf-stalking behavior continues,” and retorted, “Are the presidential couple supposed to take a taxi to go play golf?”
He continued, “As I understand it, they did not play golf with their eldest son and his wife at the time. After playing golf with four acquaintances, only the presidential couple took a helicopter to Jeodo,” adding, “Snooping around after others, making exposés and engaging in gossip politics may work at the prosecution, but it is not what a politician should do.”
Joo responded, “Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Ju-hee threatened to file a complaint, saying it was all false, but now that I say I’ll provide evidence, are you admitting that only the presidential couple played golf and took the helicopter? There were several rounds of golf during the vacation. Did the eldest son, Lee Dong-ho, and his wife swim to get to Jeodo?”
He added, “The public won’t tolerate this helicopter-assisted ‘imperial golf,’ even if you try to act as though nothing happened,” and stressed, “President Lee should apologize personally.”
Joo later made Park’s Facebook edit history public and pointed out, “Park’s first post said, ‘Lee Jae Myung and Kim Hye-kyung played golf with their eldest son Lee Dong-ho and his wife, but only the Lee couple took the helicopter.’ But it was suddenly changed to, ‘Lee Jae Myung and his wife played golf with acquaintances, not with Lee Dong-ho and his wife.’”
He continued, “He must not realize the edit history is still there. Lies tend to change like this,” adding, “The post was changed to a false explanation because admitting to playing ‘imperial golf’ and taking a helicopter with Lee Dong-ho and his wife would apparently provoke immense public anger.”
He stressed, “I know for certain that Lee Dong-ho and his wife took part in the golf outing and helicopter ride,” adding, “I will file a complaint against Park for spreading false information and bring this lying administration to an end.”
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter