Rep. Joo Jin-woo, asked to publicly apologize to golfer Lydia Ko, says he 'will apologize in private'
Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party has refused calls to publicly apologize to professional golfer Lydia Ko, saying he would apologize only in a private meeting. Speaking on a live broadcast of his YouTube channel on the afternoon of the 27th, Rep. Joo claimed, "I raised the issue because scenes that looked like 'imperial golf' — bringing along or receiving lessons from a pro golfer — were uncomfortable. The point has been twisted into demanding that I apologize to the pro golfer." He added, "If I happen to meet (Lydia Ko) in private, I could apologize any time."
As for why he refuses to apologize, Rep. Joo said, "(The demand for an apology) is a frame pushed by the left." He added, "An apology would amount to admitting wrongdoing and would serve as a pretext to bury every problem I've raised. That's why I broke through head-on."
During a comprehensive government audit at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 26th, Rep. Joo of the People Power Party claimed that First Lady Kim Hye-kyung played 'imperial golf' with pro golfer Lydia Ko at Taereung Country Club at around 11:05 a.m. on the 20th. That same day, he inserted photos of Lydia Ko's tournament play into a video he posted on YouTube and social media. After Ko's rebuttal became known, Rep. Joo deleted the portions of the video showing Ko's photos, but gave no separate notice about the edit.
At the party's Supreme Council meeting on the 28th, Rep. Jeon Yong-ik of the Democratic Party of Korea pointed out, "Rep. Joo named Lydia Ko at the government audit and claimed the First Lady received tens of millions of won worth of 'imperial lessons.' He even attached photos of her tournaments to the video." He criticized, "He called it 'evidence,' then an 'error'; called for an 'explanation,' then offered 'excuses'; and when told to 'apologize,' calls it 'dilution.' He truly knows no shame." Rep. Jeon urged, "The person who deserves an apology is not the Democratic Party but Lydia Ko, who was named without any wrongdoing. Stop playing politics with other people's lives."
