[Opinion] Prime Minister Lee’s Golf

People who like to make comparisons say there is something in common between liquor and golf: They are not fun alone and they can’t be mastered easily; the more often they are done, the better one gets at them; one can see the nature of one’s partner; by the time they are over, one wants to have more; they feel good when someone says “good shot”; One vows never to do them again, but does them again anyway.

Appropriate enjoyment of the two is good for the body, but too much is harmful to one’s health. Excessively taken, they will cause problems at home and at work. When someone is at this stage, whether it is liquor or golf, he or she is diagnosed as being addicted.

Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan once worked under former Seoul Mayor Cho Soon as his vice mayor for Administrative Affairs. When he was a National Assembly member, no one ever asked him to play golf, but he seems to have been pestered to do so when he was vice mayor. It is reported that he once asked, “Is golf that good?”

Although he had been elected to the National Assembly four times and served as the Minister of Education and Human Resources Development, he failed to be selected as a potential presidential candidate. Lee’s transformation into an avid golfer occurred around this period.

Since being appointed prime minister, his words have become harsher and he has started to play golf more. Last April, when a wildfire burned down Naksan Temple, he played golf. Although he said in the National Assembly, “I will behave myself so such a thing won’t happen again.” But during last July’s torrential floods all over the country he played golf on Jeju Island. There was even a golf ball with a phoenix drawn on it, created by a businessman to commemorate Prime Minister Lee’s visit to the Middle East.

Lee also played a few rounds of golf with broker Yoon Sang-lim. After exchanging words with lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo at the National Assembly regarding his relationship with broker Yoon, he teed off in Busan the next day. That day, the 87th Independence Movement Day, was also the day the railway strike started.

After leading the Ministry of Education, the term “Lee Hae-chan Generation” was coined. Will a new term such as “Lee Hae-chan Golf” be coined when he steps down as prime minister? A type of golf that does not care about timing or place, and that no one can resist playing.

Hang Ho-taek, Editorial Writer, hthwang@donga.com