Photo: Yoon Suk-yeol rides a golf cart in Camp David, Maryland in his US visit, c. 2023. Credit: Yonhap.
On November 12, CBS NoCut News CBS 노컷뉴스 reported that President Yoon Suk-yeol 윤석열 대통령 played golf at a military golf course on November 9. In response, police arrested the CBS journalist who broke the news on charges of trespassing, even though the journalist had been standing outside the golf course fence.
The following day, the Office of the President 대통령실 claimed that Yoon had been playing his first round in eight years in preparation for meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump, who is known to be an avid golfer. This explanation was quickly exposed as a lie, as Yoon has been reported to have played golf at least seven times since this August.
Golf in South Korea has a reputation as an elite luxury sport that is unbecoming of politicians. In July 2023, the People Power Party 국민의힘 suspended Daegu mayor Hong Jun-pyo 홍준표 대구 시장 for ten months for having played golf while his city was suffering flood damage.
