Former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk and actor Lee Kwan-hoon clink soju glasses. [Captured from Cho Kuk's Facebook]
Former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk and actor Lee Kwan-hoon clink soju glasses. [Captured from Cho Kuk's Facebook]

Former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk has responded to media reports accusing him of staging a soju photo op while actually drinking wine at a gathering with actor Lee Kwan-hoon.

According to political circles Monday, Cho wrote on his Facebook page Sunday that Dong-A Ilbo and Weekly Chosun had "written another strange article," describing the reports — which claimed he and Lee drank wine but posed with soju glasses for photos — as an attempt "to brand me negatively."

He said he found the coverage "pathetic and trivial" but would briefly set the record straight.

Cho said four people were present at the gathering. "After starting with draft beer, each person drank according to their preference — either soju or a Spanish white wine that actor Lee had brought — and I had all of them," he wrote.

He added that the photo clearly shows empty draft beer glasses, a soju bottle, soju glasses, a wine bottle and wine glasses. "Wine has long been a popular drink in our society, and I am a wine enthusiast myself — I have no reason to hide that I drank wine," he said.

He went on to wish "the reporters at Weekly Chosun and Dong-A Ilbo good writing, as they remain busy finding fault with my every move even in the sweltering heat," adding, "Looking at them, reporting seems like quite an easy job."

Earlier, Cho had posted a photo Friday showing himself and Lee clinking soju glasses, writing that he "had a drink" with the actor, who had visited Pyeongtaek to support him ahead of a by-election.

In response, some outlets noted that a wine bottle and wine glasses were visible at the edge of the table in the photo, and reported that Cho had posted the soju toast image to project a man-of-the-people image. Cho has long been tagged with labels such as "fashion leftist" and "Gangnam leftist."


jshan@heraldcorp.com