The Democratic Party of Korea is struggling to contain the fallout from a series of verbal missteps by figures in the governing bloc, including Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae and Rep. Boo Seung-chan. Party leader Kim Min-seok has personally apologized and imposed disciplinary warnings, but he himself has become entangled in a string of disputes over special treatment, adding to the strain on his leadership.
According to political sources on the 21st, the Democratic Party sent an official notice on the 19th, under the name of Secretary General Han Jeoung-ae, to provincial and district chapter heads across the country, urging caution in the conduct and remarks of party officials and public officeholders. In the notice, Han said members should "exercise particular care to avoid words or actions that run counter to public sentiment," and warned that violations would be dealt with firmly.
The move followed widening controversy after Choo's remark about a "fiscal straw" and her explanation that "since you want an apology, here is an apple" — a play on words in Korean, where the two meanings share the same term — was compounded by Boo's comment that "firefighting budgets are sucking the treasury dry." Kim issued a stern warning to Boo and ordered the central party's ethics tribunal to open an investigation on its own authority.
Appearing a day earlier on the party's YouTube channel "Minty07," Kim said, "I apologize once again," adding that "everyone, myself included, must weigh their words and actions more heavily." Boo also issued a written apology on Facebook the same day, bowing his head a day after the remark. Floor leader Han Byung-do likewise apologized, saying, "We will work to live up to the public's trust by taking greater responsibility for every word and every action."
Yet Kim, who has stressed the need to restore discipline within the party, is himself facing criticism over a recent series of incidents involving excessive deference. On the 15th, at a fermented-sauce festival in Sunchang, Jeonbuk State, Kim drew criticism after a singer's performance was halted so that he could deliver remarks. Then on the 18th, the controversy reignited when it emerged that a vehicle in his motorcade had used a hospital parking area reserved for emergency patients while he paid respects to a firefighter killed in the line of duty. The Democratic Party and Kim Tae-sun, chief of staff to the party leader, apologized, but critics say the party's push for internal discipline is hard to sustain when the leader himself is at the center of the controversy.
There are also signs the run of gaffes could spill over into internal conflict. After the controversy over Choo's remarks, Democratic Party lawmakers from the Gyeonggi provincial chapter held an emergency meeting to discuss how to respond. During the meeting, participants reportedly voiced frustration not only over Choo's comments but also over budget planning and her administration of the province more broadly.
Rep. Seo Young-suk, who chairs the party's Gyeonggi provincial chapter, said on MBC radio a day earlier that "since the governor's 'fiscal straw' remark, there have been many heated opinions from party members, saying she should be disciplined or expelled." Among hardline members aligned with President Lee Jae-myung, a joint petition calling for disciplinary action against Choo is also circulating. An official in the governing bloc said the backlash "is partly criticism of the remarks themselves, but it also carries a strong element of pushback against a governor who has clashed with President Lee Jae-myung on several occasions."
The People Power Party is using the Democratic Party's troubles to sharpen its attacks. Chung Jom-sig, the party's floor leader, called for Choo and Boo to face "the heaviest level of discipline at the party level, so that such outrageous remarks never happen again." The People Power Party has formed a task force on honoring firefighters' service, highlighting the need to improve working conditions for firefighters while keeping up its criticism of inappropriate conduct by governing-bloc figures.
People Power Party members of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee also described the parking dispute involving Kim as "privilege of power," demanding a direct apology and an explanation of the circumstances. "The order in an emergency room is determined by severity, not by power," they said. "Under the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party, that principle is collapsing."