SUWON — The People Power Party caucus in the Gyeonggi Provincial Council on the 20th sharply criticized Governor Choo Mi-ae over her remark describing fire services as a "fiscal straw" and over the way she later apologized, at a news conference in the council's briefing room.
"For Governor Choo Mi-ae to say at a parliamentary audit that fire services are the most troublesome fiscal straw was an insulting remark that drove a nail into the hearts of 70,000 firefighters," the party said. It called the comment "an outrageous statement that dismissed as a mere budget issue the sacrifices of firefighters who devote themselves at disaster scenes day and night."
The party also took issue with how the governor expressed her apology. "Residents and the provincial council demanded a sincere apology, but Governor Choo stayed silent," it said, adding that even at the funeral altar for Fire Lieutenant Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty in a factory fire in Bucheon, she took the attitude of "apologizing because you want an apology."
"Is this the sincere apology of a governor responsible for the safety of 14.2 million residents?" the party asked. It also pressed her further, asking, "If residents hold you accountable and want you to resign, will you resign in line with their wishes?"
The party also raised the province's supplementary budget bill. "Essential spending directly tied to residents' lives, property and safety has been cut en masse," it said, noting that even the 100 million won ($70,000) earmarked for the Gyeonggi 119 Memorial Day event honoring firefighters who died in the line of duty was eliminated entirely.
"Cutting even the minimum budget for commemorating these heroes is evidence of how Governor Choo views firefighters and the safety of residents," the party said.
The party also criticized the governor's past comments. "Expressions such as 'effectively bankrupt,' 'a mass of pus' and 'fiscal straw' heighten residents' anxiety and throw provincial administration into confusion," it said.
"Governor Choo must bow her head and sincerely apologize before 70,000 firefighters and 14.2 million residents," the party urged. It also demanded that she "lay out concrete budgets for improving firefighters' working conditions and modernizing their equipment, and immediately halt cuts to essential safety spending."
The People Power Party caucus in the Gyeonggi Provincial Council said it would continue to raise the issue through council procedures, including administrative audits, review of the main budget, questions on provincial administration and five-minute floor speeches.