Governor Choo Mi-ae Called "Insolvent" but Splurges on Herself…Resignation Petition Surpasses 30,000

Shortly after taking office, Governor Choo Mi-ae of Gyeonggi Province declared a 'fiscal emergency' and launched sweeping austerity measures affecting livelihood and welfare projects as well as employee expenses. However, she is now facing 'full ownership' controversy as she has newly acquired an official residence and government car for her personal use.

According to Gyeonggi Province officials on the 15th, a petition titled 'Request for Governor Choo Mi-ae's Resignation,' posted on the 11th, has surpassed 30,000 participants. This marks the first time a petition requesting the resignation of an incumbent Gyeonggi Province governor has met the official response threshold of 10,000 or more supporters.

The petition was triggered by Governor Choo's declaration of 'fiscal emergency' following her inauguration.

Last month, Governor Choo designated Gyeonggi Province's finances as effectively in crisis mode and initiated expenditure restructuring worth approximately 500 billion won. She lowered the provincial subsidy ratio for municipal and county projects while also cutting internal expenditures such as operational expenses and employee incentives.

Projects with high public perception also became targets of restructuring.

The postpartum care subsidy of 500,000 won per newborn was limited to babies born through September, leaving families of October through December births without support that same year.

The province explained that this year's essential livelihood project budget had only nine months of funding reflected in the initial budget, and without securing additional resources, numerous projects including school meals and long-term elderly care would have to halt starting in October.

However, critics pointed out that expenditures related to Governor Choo herself contrasted with the austerity tone.

The province contracted a 156-square-meter apartment (approximately 47 pyeong) as the governor's official residence with a deposit of 1.22 billion won.

The government car was also reportedly newly purchased. The contract price was 77.65 million won, concluded with Hyundai Motor in a negotiated contract format with fixed total amount.

Combined, the official residence and vehicle amount to approximately 1.3 billion won.

This is the backdrop for the so-called 'full ownership' criticism that the governor demands austerity from residents and civil servants while applying different standards to the governor's official residence and government car.

Against this backdrop, the resignation petition emerged.

The petition author argued that Governor Choo's use of the term 'insolvent' was excessive, citing that Gyeonggi Province's debt-to-budget ratio is below the statutory financial crisis threshold.

Referencing reduced municipal and county subsidy rates, adjustments to livelihood and welfare budgets, and the official residence issue, the petition demanded that she "acknowledge her inability to take responsibility for the lives of 14 million Gyeonggi residents and resign voluntarily."

After the petition reached 10,000 supporters, the province posted an official response, and the petition is currently marked as 'response completed.'

Gyeonggi Province petitions qualify upon receiving 10,000 or more supporters within 30 days, and the official processing procedure requires the governor to respond directly within 30 days of qualification.

In 2023, Gyeonggi Province changed the 'Director-General or Governor response' format to 'Governor's direct response,' citing enhanced accountability as the reason for the system reform.

However, the actual petition page posted a response under the name 'Gyeonggi Province' rather than in the governor's personal name.

In its response, Gyeonggi Province stated, "The 2026 Gyeonggi Province essential livelihood budget compiled last year reflected only nine months of funding" and "failure to secure separate resources means numerous essential livelihood projects including school meals and long-term elderly care would halt starting in October."

It further stated, "Gyeonggi Province issued local bonds for the first time in approximately 20 years in 2025, with the issuance amount reaching 99.6% of the limit" and "with substantial portions of various funds and internal resources already mobilized, there is almost no additional fiscal capacity available."

The response added, "The ninth-term Gyeonggi Province administration is making every effort to prevent the suspension of essential livelihood projects" and expressed "deep regret at the distortion of facts, as if the ninth-term administration deliberately cut properly budgeted livelihood spending."

Although Gyeonggi Province introduced the 'Governor's direct response' principle citing enhanced accountability, the governor's response to a petition demanding her own resignation is ambiguous in attribution.

Beyond the controversy over responsibility for financial difficulties and the necessity of austerity measures, controversy is expected to continue regarding how Governor Choo, who has demanded shared sacrifice from residents and civil servants, has accountably responded to the resignation demands of approximately 30,000 residents.