Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae publicly apologized on the 17th over her widely criticized remark describing the fire service as a "fiscal straw," saying she had "absolutely no intention of disparaging firefighters."
Choo visited Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital that afternoon to pay her respects at the funeral altar for the late Fire Lieutenant Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty while responding to a factory fire in Bucheon. Speaking to reporters afterward, she said, "If my words were conveyed differently from what I intended, I offer my deep regret and apologize with all my heart."
At a parliamentary audit of Gyeonggi Province by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee on the 13th, Choo drew sharp criticism after saying the fire service "seems like the biggest and most troublesome fiscal straw" while discussing local government finances and the budget for firefighters, who are national government employees.
Asked why she had not responded directly to calls for an apology at the fire scene the previous day, Choo said, "I asked not to be questioned because I felt that setting was inappropriate. It was not that I could not offer an apology."
She added that the question about the fire service had come at the end of questioning about Gyeonggi Province's declaration of a fiscal emergency on the day of the audit. "Personnel costs come to about 1.1 trillion won, but government support is only 80 billion won, which is very small, so I said it was the most difficult area," she said.
Choo also said the number of firefighters is set to rise sharply, with about 40% of the increase, or 3,200 personnel, to be assigned to the Gyeonggi fire service. She said she had informed the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of the situation and requested state subsidies.
"I acknowledge it was a misstep that came out while I was talking about structural fiscal problems. Looking at the full context, that was not my intention," Choo said. "That expression came from a desperate wish to improve working conditions, and I had absolutely no intention of disparaging firefighters."
Choo also met with Kim's family at the funeral altar. The family is understood to have called for improvements to safety systems and expanded investment in fire safety. Choo pledged provincial-level honors befitting Kim's dedication, including support for the funeral and the bereaved family.
Kim was among the first responders deployed to a metal injection molding and printing plant in Nae-dong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, where a fire broke out at about 8:38 a.m. the previous day. He was rescued and received treatment but died on the 17th.
The fire left eight people injured or killed in total, with Kim dying in the line of duty and five other firefighters suffering serious or minor injuries.
Kim's funeral will be held as a Gyeonggi Province government funeral in accordance with his family's wishes. The memorial service is scheduled for the 19th.