The Democratic Party issued a formal apology over remarks by Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae, a party member, who described firefighting as a drain on provincial finances. Choo has not expressed any intention to apologize.
In a statement released on the 16th under the name of party spokesperson Lee Yong-woo, the Democratic Party said, "The dedication of firefighters who protect the lives and safety of the people deserves respect," adding, "We sincerely apologize to the firefighting officials and their families who were hurt by the expression Governor Choo used."
The party went on to say, "Even if the intent was to explain the difficulties of local finances, we take seriously our failure to fully consider the hard work and pride of firefighters who quietly fulfill their duties at dangerous scenes," and, "We will also reflect on whether we have fully recognized the efforts of firefighters and provided support commensurate with them." It stressed, "Along with expanding support for firefighter safety, we will work to secure the budget needed to increase personnel and equipment and improve working conditions and compensation."
Choo had made the remark on the 13th during a parliamentary audit of Gyeonggi Province by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee. Referring to local governments' fiscal problems and the budget for firefighters, who are national civil servants, she said firefighting "seems like the biggest headache, draining our finances." After the comment drew criticism, Gyeonggi Province said on the 15th that the remark "was intended to highlight that local governments bear most of the related costs even though firefighters were converted to national civil servant status, and that the share of central government funding has in fact declined."
Choo visited the site of a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the same day, where one firefighter was taken to a hospital in cardiac arrest among other casualties. She said, "We will do everything possible to ensure the treatment and recovery of the injured firefighters," but made no mention of the "draining our finances" remark.
