Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok apologized again on the 20th over controversial remarks by Rep. Boo Seung-chan about fire service funding.
Speaking on the party's YouTube program "Minty 07," Kim said, "I am sorry once again that matters have arisen that cause concern for the public." Explaining why he had issued a stern warning to Boo the previous day and ordered the party's ethics inspection unit to launch an investigation on its own authority, Kim said, "Setting aside the full context, I judged that the public would find it uncomfortable, so the party needed to take a position quickly."
He also called for tighter discipline across the party. "This is not just one person's problem," Kim said. "All of us, myself included, are going through various difficulties, and I thought that at a time like this it would be better for everyone to weigh their words and actions more carefully." At a parliamentary audit on the 19th, Boo had defended Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae's comment comparing fire service funding to a "straw," saying, "Local governments cover about 90% of the budget for firefighters, so isn't it really sucking up their finances?" The remark drew a backlash.
Kim also expressed regret over a recent comment by Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, that the Republic of Korea begins at the fence line south of the Demilitarized Zone. "Considering constitutional territorial sovereignty and treaty relations, it is a highly inappropriate expression," Kim said. But he dismissed interpretations that the remark reflected a U.S. intent to delay the transfer of wartime operational control. "The U.S. government has drawn a line by treating it as the commander's personal remark, so there is no need to read too much into it," he said. "The existing framework of taking back wartime operational control in line with the strengthening of our military's capabilities remains unchanged."
On a warning the previous day from Kim Yo-jong, head of the North Korean Workers' Party's general affairs department, that the North would turn on loudspeakers aimed at the South, Kim urged a composed response. "Our military and security capabilities are incomparably stronger than in the past, and our diplomatic cooperation with neighboring countries is solid," he said. "Rather than responding in minute detail to every North Korean attitude, we can respond with a consistent approach."