As public criticism mounted over Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae's remark describing fire services as a "straw" draining provincial finances, Rep. Boo Seung-chan of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea widened the controversy by saying that the firefighting budget "really sucks up finances." Choo repeated her apology for her own comment, but the People Power Party escalated its attacks, calling Boo's remark "something that should never have been said on the day of a funeral for firefighters who died in the line of duty."
Speaking at the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee's audit of Gyeonggi Province held at the provincial government office on the 19th, Boo said: "Of course she made a serious mistake, but she has apologized sufficiently." He added, "About 90% of the firefighting budget for personnel and support costs is for national government positions, yet local governments bear the burden, so doesn't it really suck up finances?"
Boo's intent was to highlight problems in firefighting finances, including the low share of national funding, but repeating similar wording while criticism over Choo's comment was still intense drew a backlash from the opposition. Rep. Kim Eun-hye of the People Power Party demanded an apology, saying, "A funeral for firefighters who died in the line of duty was held after the governor's outrageous remark, and the phrase 'sucks up' should never have been used." Boo countered that it was "a disgraceful attempt to use this for political strife." Shouting between ruling and opposition lawmakers followed, and the audit was briefly suspended. Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok issued a "stern warning" over Boo's remark and ordered the party's central ethics tribunal to launch an investigation on its own authority.
Choo, at the center of the controversy, adopted a humbler posture in an effort to contain the fallout. Ahead of the work report that day, she said, "I sincerely apologize to all firefighters who were hurt by my recent remark," adding, "I will look more carefully into the safety and working conditions of firefighters."
The People Power Party focused on the sincerity of Choo's apology and the province's fiscal management. Rep. Kim Jong-yang took direct aim at the governor, saying, "She inflicted secondary harm by saying, in effect, 'I'm apologizing because you told me to.' Isn't that what people call a fake apology?" He also pointed out that the province's supplementary budget bill cut 2.65 billion won from funding to upgrade aging fire trucks and 100 million won from a memorial event for firefighters who died in the line of duty.
The Democratic Party argued that the inappropriateness of Choo's remark should be separated from the structural problems in firefighting finances. Rep. Jeon Yong-gi stressed, "We should use this opportunity to open a public debate on funding firefighters through the national budget and improve their working conditions." Firefighters were converted to national government employees in 2020, but as of this year the national government covers only 10.7% of firefighting funding.
Despite the widening controversy, the party leadership has been cautious about discussing disciplinary action against Choo. Kim is reported to have said at a closed-door supreme council meeting that day that the party should focus on restoring public confidence and take up the Choo issue later. The prevailing view is that containing the fallout comes first, as disciplinary action against the governor could spill over into internal conflict within the ruling bloc.