The Democratic Party of Korea leadership issued warning measures on the 21st against Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae and Rep. Boo Seung-chan over their recent controversial remarks comparing the fire department to a “financial straw.”
Democratic Party of Korea spokesperson Cho Gye-won told reporters after a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the same day, “The closed-door Supreme Council meeting reached a consensus to issue warnings to Governor Choo and Rep. Boo,” adding, “This serves to urge the individuals to reflect deeply and prevent recurrence.”
This marks the first time the party has taken disciplinary action against Governor Choo in eight days. Governor Choo sparked controversy on October 13 during a parliamentary audit of Gyeonggi Province by the National Assembly’s Administrative Safety Committee, stating, “The fire department is the biggest and most troublesome financial straw.” Rep. Boo later defended her, fueling further debate by asking, “Isn’t the fire department budget truly ‘sucking’ local government finances dry?”
Spokesperson Cho explained, “Governor Choo had previously faced multiple equity-related issues,” and noted, “The Supreme Council agreed to issue warnings to both Rep. Boo and Governor Choo.” Earlier, party leader Kim Min-seok had issued a stern warning to Rep. Boo and immediately referred his case to the Ethics Deliberation Committee following his remarks, but no action was taken against Governor Choo, sparking equity concerns.
However, no additional procedures such as referral to the Ethics Inspection Unit are expected. Spokesperson Cho stated, “The Supreme Council discussed and finalized the decision to issue warnings,” clarifying, “There will be no separate referral to the Ethics Inspection Unit.”
He added, “The party once again apologizes to firefighters and the public,” and emphasized, “We will do our utmost to improve financial systems to ensure the safety and welfare of firefighters.”
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