Gyeonggi head slammed for ‘apologizing because you wanted one’ for calling firefighting services ‘drain’

The conservative party bashed Gyeonggi Gov. Choo Mi-ae for giving a half-hearted apology after she said she "will apologize because you want an apology" for calling the fire department a "financial drain."

"Gov. Choo apologized for describing firefighting as 'a troublesome financial drain,' but even while apologizing, she put her excuse first: that her remarks had been 'conveyed differently from what she intended' and were 'a mistake in wording,'" Rep. Choi Bo-yun, a senior spokesperson for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), said in a statement Sunday.

A day earlier, Choo had visited the funeral altar for Lt. Kim Jin-seok, who died Friday from injuries suffered while battling a blaze at a factory in Bucheon, Gyeonggi. Kim was among the first firefighters dispatched and was rescued from the scene but later died.

"I had absolutely no intention of disparaging firefighters," Choo said at Soon Chun Hyang University Bucheon Hospital in front of reporters and mourners. "I'm apologizing, with all my heart, because you want an apology."

"If [my words] were conveyed differently from what I intended, I express deep regret," she added.

Choo's apology came four days after she discussed local government finances and budgets for firefighters while speaking during a National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee audit of Gyeonggi.

During the audit, she said, "Firefighting seems to be the biggest, most troublesome drain on finances," which immediately drew backlash from firefighters and their families.

"If the financial burden is the problem, she should seek support from the central government and improve the system," the PPP's Choi said. "How can a governor describe firefighting services, which protect people's lives and safety, as 'a troublesome financial drain'? Claiming that something was not intended does not absolve her of responsibility for making inappropriate remarks."

"It is also regrettable that she initially failed to respond to demands for an apology and only apologized after visiting the funeral of the fallen firefighter," Choi continued. "What is needed in the face of a firefighter's noble sacrifice is not a lengthy explanation but accountability for her own words. Residents can only feel frustrated watching their governor treat firefighting as a headache because of financial difficulties, then belatedly apologize after the controversy escalated."

"Gov. Choo must stop hiding behind explanations, sincerely apologize for her remarks and demonstrate a responsible attitude," Choi added.

Rep. Park Sung-hoon, another senior spokesperson for the PPP, also criticized Choo in a statement Saturday.

"Gov. Choo's apology was arrogant to the very end," Park said. "Did she go there to apologize or to make excuses? It is appalling to see her prioritize her own sense of grievance over her wrongdoing, even at the funeral of a firefighter who died in the line of duty."

"'I'm apologizing with all my heart because you want an apology' — these are words that make us question what we are hearing," Park added.

BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]