Over 30,000 Signatures Prompt Gyeonggi Province to Close 'Choo Mi-ae Resignation Petition' Early

Marked "Completed" After Written Briefing
Unusually Swift Compared to Previous Cases

Gyeonggi Province issued an unusually prompt response and closed its provincial petition site after the number of signatories calling for the resignation of Governor Choo Mi-ae surpassed 30,000.

Choo Mi-ae, Governor of Gyeonggi Province. Yonhap News Agency.

According to Gyeonggi Province officials on September 15, the petition titled "We Petition for the Resignation of Governor Choo Mi-ae" had received a total of 30,775 signatures and was updated to "response completed" status as of this day.

The petition calling for Governor Choo's resignation was first posted on September 11, and reached the threshold of 10,000 signatures required for an official response by 5:30 p.m. on September 14. Subsequently, at approximately 7:23 p.m. that day, Gyeonggi Province, through a spokesperson's written briefing, announced "Regarding the Petition for the Gyeonggi Governor's Resignation" and marked the petition as "response completed." In the Gyeonggi Petition system, no additional signatures can be added to petitions once a response has been posted.

In the written briefing, the province expressed "deep regret over the distortion of facts suggesting that the 9th popularly elected provincial administration deliberately cut budgets for residents’ welfare programs that were properly allocated." The statement continued, "We ask for residents’ understanding regarding Gyeonggi's fiscal situation. We will do our utmost to protect residents' livelihoods and overcome this financial crisis."

Gyeonggi Province emphasized that the spokesperson's briefing distributed the previous day served as the official answer to the resignation petition, adding, "After the number of signatories exceeded 10,000, Governor Choo was briefed, and the Governor's official position is reflected in this briefing."

According to Gyeonggi Province, the official response was issued just two hours after the petition surpassed the 10,000-signature threshold—a notably swift timeline compared to the usual processing speed for such petitions.

Previously, among petitions that surpassed the required 10,000 signatures for a response, the petition regarding phase 5 of the Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railway network exceeded the requirement on July 15, but Governor Choo did not personally respond until August 1. For the petition on extending the Shinbundang Line to Uiwang, Gunpo, and Ansan, the threshold was surpassed on August 1, but Governor Choo responded only on August 31. Another petition regarding the suspension of postpartum care subsidies surpassed the 10,000-signature mark within a single day on September 9, but, as of now, is still listed as "awaiting response."

Meanwhile, on the morning of the same day, the civic group "Citizens' Action for Judicial Justice" visited the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency and submitted a complaint requesting an investigation of Governor Choo for abuse of power, dereliction of duty, violation of the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (specifically, loss of state funds), and defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act.

Hanme Kim, permanent representative of the civic group, claimed, "While slashing budgets intended for the residents, the Governor spent provincial funds for her own official residence and car," further arguing, "This is a violation of the obligation to manage finances soundly and efficiently, thereby causing loss to Gyeonggi Province."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.