Gyeonggi Province Gov. Choo Mi-ae apologized again Monday over her controversial remarks about firefighting finances, as calls for disciplinary action against her continued to grow and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea sought to contain the fallout by focusing on support for firefighters.
Choo offered the fresh apology during a National Assembly audit of the Gyeonggi provincial government, hours after attending the funeral of firefighter Kim Jin-seok, who died while battling a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, last week.
“I sincerely apologize to the firefighters who were hurt by my recent remarks,” Choo said in her opening remarks at the audit.
She said she took the dedication of firefighters seriously and pledged to pay closer attention to their safety and working conditions.
Earlier in the day, Choo attended Kim’s funeral in Bucheon as chair of the funeral committee. In her eulogy, she expressed condolences to the bereaved family and vowed to improve firefighters’ working conditions, treatment and equipment.
The latest apology came amid mounting criticism over Choo’s earlier attempt to address the controversy.
During a parliamentary audit on Oct. 13, Choo referred to the fire services as a persistent drain on provincial finances, stressing the lack of central government support despite firefighters having been reclassified as national government employees in 2020.
After visiting Kim’s funeral on Saturday, Choo said she was sorry if her remarks had been conveyed differently from what she intended. Choo's wording of the apology, however, only intensified the backlash. At the time, Choo said that she offered her sincerest apology "since an apology is wanted."
The controversy has increasingly become a political burden for the ruling party.
Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok said Monday that creating a safe working environment for firefighters is ultimately the responsibility of the state and pledged to strengthen related budgets and support.
At a closed-door meeting of party leadership, Kim called for the party to focus first on “comforting the public and firefighters” and drawing up financial and institutional measures, according to party spokesperson Cho Kye-won.
Cho said issues surrounding Choo, including possible disciplinary action, would be discussed later.
The party is considering measures including increasing the central government’s share of firefighting costs and improving firefighters’ working conditions and mental health support.
Calls for stronger action against Choo, however, have also emerged from within the Democratic Party.
Speaking on a radio show on Monday, Rep. Park Jie-won criticized the way Choo handled her first apology and said that at least a warning from party leadership is warranted, while Rep. Kim Byung-joo called on her to offer another apology that firefighters could regard as sincere.
Some Democratic Party lawmakers have also privately raised the possibility of tougher measures, including expulsion from the party, amid concerns about deteriorating public sentiment in Gyeonggi Province.
The main opposition People Power Party stepped up its criticism Monday, calling for Choo to face a recall campaign and demanding that the Democratic Party expel or discipline her.
The People Power Party accused Choo of failing to show genuine remorse and criticized the ruling party for stopping short of taking disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, the controversy widened further during the audit as Democratic Party Rep. Boo Seung-chan defended Choo, saying she had already apologized.
“Choo made a serious mistake with her controversial remarks, but she has apologized sufficiently,” Boo said.
Boo also defended Choo's stance, pointing to the heavy fiscal burden on local governments, which shoulder about 90 percent of the expense for firefighting personnel and support costs despite firefighters being national government employees.
His remarks drew protests from opposition lawmakers and briefly forced the audit to be suspended.
The ruling party responded quickly, saying that the party leadership had "sternly warned" Boo over his remarks.
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