The Democratic Party launched a fierce attack against Representative Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party, who raised golf-related allegations involving First Lady Kim Hea-kyung, wife of President Lee Jae-myung, urging him to "switch careers to a cyber wrecker YouTuber."

Democratic Party Floor Leader Han Byung-do said at a meeting on parliamentary audit measures today (October 27), "Representative Joo's irresponsible raising of allegations and provocative, sensationalist politics are repeating endlessly."

Floor Leader Han sharply criticized, "He makes a lot of noise raising suspicions, but not a single detail has been factually confirmed—it is an empty shell and a broken speaker," adding, "Why not take this opportunity to step down from your seat as a lawmaker and become a cyber wrecker YouTuber or a novelist?"

He also emphasized, "The status of being a lawmaker cannot serve as a free pass," stressing, "We will certainly hold Representative Joo legally accountable for raising these malicious allegations."

Senior Vice Floor Leader for Operations Cheon Jun-ho criticized, saying, "This is not the first time Representative Joo has spread false information," noting that Joo had sparked controversy over manipulation in July by piecing together video clips of the first lady's overseas tour to Mongolia.

He went on to warn, "A lawmaker's parliamentary immunity is not authority granted by the public to spread falsehoods," adding, "He will not be able to evade legal responsibility for spreading false information."

Senior Vice Floor Leader for Policy Kim Han-kyu pointed out, "Throughout the parliamentary audit, the People Power Party has behaved like cyber wreckers, chasing sensational issues while pushing problem-solving aside," adding, "A prime example is (Representative Joo), who uploaded a video claiming that the first lady received golf lessons from a famous golfer and then quietly edited it after it was confirmed to be untrue."

Floor Spokesperson Lee Ju-hee said at a briefing today, "Withdraw the unproven, false claims and apologize to those whose names and faces were dragged into this," adding, "The Democratic Party will hold him accountable to the very end for spreading false information."

Meeting with reporters after the briefing, Floor Spokesperson Lee stated, "Representative Joo clearly spread false information," adding, "We will be filing a complaint sometime this week."

(Photo: Yonhap News)