Gyeonggi Gov. Choo Mi-ae delivers opening remarks during a meeting with the firefighters' division of the Korean Government Employees' Union at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government headquarters in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Oct. 20NEWS1
Gyeonggi Gov. Choo Mi-ae apologized in person to firefighters’ union representatives on Tuesday for describing the fire service as a "fiscal drain" on the provincial budget, a week after the remark drew outrage from firefighters nationwide.
“If my carelessness and my poor choice of words caused deep hurt, I sincerely apologize with all my heart,” Choo said in her meeting with union officials at her office in Suwon, Gyeonggi.
The governor made the comment on Oct. 13 during the National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee audit of Gyeonggi.
Responding to a question from Rep. Kwon Young-jin of the conservative opposition People Power Party about the province’s finances, she said the fire service seemed to be “the biggest, most troublesome budget drain,” and noted that personnel costs for Gyeonggi firefighters alone would reach 1.1 trillion won ($828 million) in 2027.
Three days later, a fire broke out at a factory in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, killing one firefighter.
On Tuesday, Choo said the remark came from a poor choice of words while discussing the burden the province bears for firefighters’ salaries.
“Serving as a provincial governor, I came to understand the reality of the fire service after firefighters became national public servants, and while responding to a lawmaker’s in-depth questioning [during the parliamentary audit], I made a momentary mistake in my choice of words,” she said.
On why her apology came late, she said, “It was also frustrating, because if I had readily apologized first and the issue had been patched up, attention would not have been paid to the fundamental problem.
Members of the firefighters' division of the Korean Government Employees' Union hold a press conference outside the Gyeonggi Provincial Government headquarters in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Oct. 20.NEWS1
“In the meantime, the fire broke out, and I felt it was not the right time or place for my slip of the tongue to become a point of contention in the face of such a major, sudden accident, so I could not fully say what was on my mind."
The governor also explained a provincial plan to convert a local education tax levied on tobacco, which is set to expire, into a regional resource and facility tax that could fund firefighting.
“Fire service personnel costs and the fire service’s financial burden must be normalized,” she said. “I have also proposed this to the Governors Association of Korea to improve the system and resolve this problem. You may rebuke me, but this is one problem I truly want to solve.”
Union officials said they hoped the apology would lead to real change for firefighters.
“There had only been apologies directed at the media and politicians, but none to firefighters in the field, so we came,” Kwon Yeong-gak,head of the fire service headquarters of the Korean Government Employees’ Union (KGEU), said. “I hope the governor’s apology leads to addressing the hardships of firefighters on the ground.”
“I hope that, with this as an opportunity, many people, including the governor, will take the lead in making our fire service, Korea’s fire service, the best in the world,” Park Jin-kyu, head of the Gyeonggi fire branch, said.
Earlier Tuesday, the firefighters' division of KGEU held a press conference outside the Gyeonggi Provincial Government headquarters, calling for a full investigation into the death of Fire Lieutenant Kim Jin-seok. The union had also demanded an official apology from Choo and an expanded fire service budget.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
