Choo's firefighter comments open ruling party to attack

A remark by Gyeonggi Province Gov. Choo Mi-ae that appeared to disparage firefighters as a drain on public resources has left the ruling bloc struggling to contain the fallout, with her subsequent apology sparking further anger.

During a National Assembly audit of the provincial government last week, Choo had called the fire service the "biggest and troubling fiscal drain" on resources.

Choo apologized after paying her respects at the funeral of Kim Jin-seok, a 44-year-old firefighter who died at a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday.

"As an apology is wanted, I offer the sincerest apology," she said, adding that she had no intention to disparage firefighters.

The wording of the apology drew more fire from her critics.

On Sunday, People Power Party chair Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok demanded Choo's resignation, claiming that she had shown herself to be unfit for office.

Choo's initial remarks came at the parliamentary audit of the Gyeonggi Provincial Goverment on Tuesday.

She pointed out that the provincial government needed to cover most of the fire service's 1.1 trillion won ($825 million) payroll even though firefighters were formally employed by the central government.

Firefighters were made central government employees in 2020 as part of efforts to the move to narrow the regional disparities in firefighting resources.

Choo's remarks appear to have been intended to call for the central government to contribute more to firefighters' pay, but the wording prompted backlash from firefighters.

A workers' union representing some 70,000 firefighters nationwide criticized Choo for "dismissing firefighters who work tirelessly day and night to protect people's lives and properties as the mere cause of the budget waste and the financial burden."

The statement Wednesday also read that Choo's remarks "amount to a blasphemy that severely tarnishes firefighters' reputation."

"If the current, imperfect reality is the problem, a provincial governor should have demanded the central government increase its share of funding," according to its statement.

Then came the deadly fire in just two days. In addition to Kim, five more firefighters and two factory workers were injured.

The ruling Democratic Party's chair Rep. Kim Min-seok on Saturday apologized to firefighters and the public who were hurt by Choo's remarks, and said he had asked Choo to make a sincere public apology.

President Lee Jae Myung also visited the funeral home of the deceased firefighter Saturday. Before his visit there, Lee apparently distanced himself from the tone of Choo's remarks about firefighters.

"Considering how they dedicate themselves, even risking their own lives for the sake of the lives and safety of our people, no reward to them would be too much," he said.

Choo had been at odds with Lee even before her firefighter remarks, over issues such as the presidential nomination of former prosecutor Kim Ji-yong as the chief of a new agency in charge of investigating serious crime.