"Criticism Won't Solve the Problem"…Choo Mee-ae, Who Raised 'Political Execution,' Shifts to Counterattack After Apology

The repercussions of Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mee-ae's remarks about "political execution" are spreading. According to an interview with Yonhapnews released on the 25th, the remarks came in response to a question suggesting that 'the straw controversy could become a blessing in disguise.' Governor Choo said, "Hiding behind my controversial remarks and criticizing me won't solve the firefighter budget problem," and then stated, "Even if I were to face political execution, I hope that meaningful reforms would be achieved for this problem that our society has turned away from."

In the interview, Governor Choo emphasized that firefighter personnel costs should be raised to the level where "the national government bears all expenses," and presented legislative tax reform including an increase in the local consumption tax rate as a linked task. She also stated that Gyeonggi Province faces a shortage of approximately 1 trillion won in available funds for next year. Regarding the phrase "straw," she repeatedly apologized, calling it "an oversight in expressing the weight I felt in my heart." The interview was conducted on the 23rd at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office.

Rep. Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Innovation Party (Hwaseong, Gyeonggi) criticized on Facebook that day, saying, "Seeing you use a word like execution that doesn't fit the context, it appears you're trying to become a 'Joan of Arc' by highlighting that 'Gyeonggi Province's finances are difficult.'" Rep. Lee brought up that Governor Choo was Justice Minister and a cabinet member at the time of the 2020 firefighter national-level conversion, saying, "You keep provoking only the innocent firefighters." This pointed to responsibility during the formation of the current firefighter budget structure.

The Democratic Party previously issued a joint warning on the 21st to Governor Choo, who made the "fiscal straw" remarks, and Rep. Bu Seung-chan, who said "isn't it being sucked up continually," regarding their statements. This latest remark came four days after the party leadership's warning.

The firefighter field was in a settlement phase. Governor Choo apologized at a briefing with the Korea Government Employees Union Fire Service on the 20th, and on the 21st instructed the establishment of a provincial safety task force and an investigation into the facts of the in-service death accident. On the 23rd, Democratic Party Chairman Kim Min-seok held a firefighters union briefing at the National Assembly. The firefighters union has not yet issued an official statement on the "execution" remarks.

Discussions on restructuring the firefighter budget have moved to the National Assembly. Rep. Jung Chung-rae of the Democratic Party introduced a bill on the 21st to strengthen the legislative basis for national government support for city and provincial fire special accounts. According to the National Assembly Research Service, local governments bore 89.3% of last year's firefighter budget, while the national government's support ratio for personnel costs was 8.6%.