Defense Ministry denies minister visited golf course amid opposition allegations

The Ministry of National Defense denied allegations that Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek visited a golf course over the weekend, saying he spent Sunday at his official residence managing a naval situation and reviewing defense policy as part of his regular duties.

People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won raised the allegations Sunday on her Facebook page, saying she had received multiple tips that President Lee Jae Myung and Defense Minister Ahn had played a round at Taereung Country Club around 11 a.m. that day. She added that the tipsters described a large security detail accompanying them, along with a person believed to be presidential aide Kim Hyun-ji.

Na went on to say the location itself was particularly notable, as Taereung is the site of the Korea Military Academy — the very institution the government has proposed relocating to a provincial area as part of a plan to consolidate the service academies. She also noted that Ahn has yet to address separate allegations that he went absent without leave during his military service.

"If the tip proves true, this would be a serious national security lapse — the kind of issue the Democratic Party would have pursued with a parliamentary investigation, a special prosecutor and an impeachment motion without hesitation under a conservative administration," Na said, calling for a thorough investigation into the facts.

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok also posted on Facebook, saying allegations had emerged that the president was playing golf while a Navy servicemember was dying in the cold waters of the East Sea. "I hope it is not true. I mean that sincerely," he wrote.

Jang called on the government to release all relevant records minute by minute — including the time and logs of when the president was briefed after the servicemember went missing Sunday, entry records for Taereung Country Club, and CCTV footage.