Under fire: Gyeonggi governor slammed for calling fire service ‘financial drain’
Firefighters, unions and lawmakers condemned Gov. Choo Mi-ae for her comments during a parliamentary audit where she also called the costs “troublesome.”
Gyeonggi Gov. Choo Mi-ae speaks during a parliamentary audit held at the provincial government office in Gyeonggi on Oct. 13.KIM JONG-HO
Firefighters across the country are demanding an apology from Gyeonggi Gov. Choo Mi-ae after she described the fire service as a “troublesome financial drain” during a parliamentary audit.
The backlash has grown since firefighters’ unions denounced the remark and called on Choo to apologize personally.
The controversy began during a parliamentary audit on government bodies by the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Choo was questioned by Rep. Kwon Young-jin of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) over her plan to change how fire-service funding tied to tobacco tax revenue is allocated. Kwon argued that the province should seek more central government funding for fire services rather than adjust local tax revenue sources.
“The fire service seems like the biggest and most troublesome drain on our finances,” Choo replied. “[Fire service] personnel costs alone will eat up 1.1 trillion won [$820 million] in 2027.”
Gyeonggi has 11,783 firefighters as of September, according to the provincial government. Its budget for firefighter personnel and fire-service programs next year will total 1.7 trillion won. Central government funding, including fire safety grants, accounts for only about 9 percent of the total, the province said.
The remark comes two months after the governor declared a “fiscal emergency” in Gyeonggi back in August.
Videos of Choo’s “financial drain” remark spread on social media, and firefighters’ unions affiliated with both of Korea’s major labor confederations issued statements demanding an apology.
A firefighter is seen taking a break at the site of Coupang warehouse fire in Incheon on July 20.YONHAP
“Are the lives of firefighters, who are the first to rush into pitch-black fires and disasters, worth nothing more than a ‘straw’ sucking away local government budgets?” the Korean firefighters union under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions said in a statement on Thursday.
“The government converted firefighters into national public officials but left local governments to shoulder their personnel costs. The fire service is now being thoroughly humiliated as a burden on local governments and a ‘straw’ draining their budgets.”
Another firefighters’ union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions joined the fray in condemning the governor’s remarks.
“[Choo’s] remark reduced firefighters, who work day and night to protect people’s lives and property, to nothing more than a waste of money and a financial burden,” the fire service division of the Korean government employees’ union said. “Firefighter salaries and fire-service budgets are a lifeline directly tied to public safety and essential costs that the state must bear. Describing them in such crude terms as ‘eating up the budget’ tramples on the pride of every firefighter in Korea and seriously damages their honor.”
Gyeonggi Gov. Choo Mi-ae declares a fiscal emergency during a press conference on the province’s financial situation at the Gyeonggi provincial government in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 5.NEWS1
The PPP caucus in the Gyeonggido Assembly also called on Choo to apologize for the remark in a statement on Thursday.
“Gov. Choo’s arrogant remarks and irresponsible attempts to evade responsibility have caused deep hurt and anger among Gyeonggi’s 14.2 million residents and some 70,000 firefighters nationwide,” the caucus said.
Choo had not responded to the firefighters’ demands for an apology for a second day. The Gyeonggi provincial government instead sought to contain the controversy.
“Gov. Choo’s remark was intended to emphasize that local governments continue to shoulder most of the financial burden even after firefighters became national public officials, while the share of central government funding has actually declined,” a Gyeonggi provincial government official said on Thursday. “Fire services are essential to protecting people’s lives, safety and property.”
The province also stressed the importance of the firefighters’ work.
“We deeply appreciate the work of Gyeonggi firefighters and will work to secure stable funding for fire services,” the official said.
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.
