PPP urges Blue House to clarify first lady's alleged golf lessons
The call comes after People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Joo Jin-woo claimed that first lady Kim Hea Kyung received golf lessons from a world-renowned golfer at Taereung Golf Club on Oct. 20, the day when a man set fire to two buildings in southern Seoul.
People Power Party Rep. Joo Jin-woo holds a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Oct. 27, calling for a special inspector to investigate allegations surrounding President Lee Jae Myung's golf activities and reservations at Taereung Golf Club involving Lee and his family.
YONHAP
The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Tuesday urged the presidential office to clarify allegations that first lady Kim Hea Kyung received private golf lessons from a prominent professional golfer at a military-run golf course.
PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig said that the Blue House should address the facts surrounding the first lady’s reported golf lessons, first disclosed by PPP lawmaker Joo Jin-woo on Monday.
Joo claimed that President Lee Jae Myung’s wife received golf lessons from a world-renowned golfer at Taereung Golf Club in northern Seoul on Oct. 20, the day when a man set fire to two buildings in southern Seoul, leaving five people seriously injured and 14 others with minor injuries.
The Blue House immediately dismissed Joo’s claim as “groundless” and urged the press to exercise caution in reporting the allegations.
The PPP floor leader criticized the presidential office for characterizing media reports citing Joo’s claims as the dissemination of false information, describing the stance as a form of media control and a reporting directive commonly associated with a dictatorship.
He also criticized Democratic Party lawmaker Seo Young-kyo, the chair of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, for blocking Joo from playing a video of the first lady allegedly playing golf during a committee meeting on Monday.
Jeong then urged new presidential special inspector Choi Kil-su to honor his inaugural pledge to uphold political neutrality and professional independence by thoroughly inspecting the allegations surrounding the first lady’s golf outing.
Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, a five-term PPP lawmaker, wrote on Facebook, “What exactly has the Blue House labeled false? Is it the fact that golf was played, the claim that [the first lady] received lessons from a professional golfer or the allegation that special treatment was provided?”
Yonhap
