[2026 Parliamentary Audit] Jeon Yonggi Pens Mea Culpa Over Fire Service Budget: "What's the Point of Becoming National Civil Servants? The Democratic Party Was at Fault"

Gyeonggi Province Audit
"Nationalization of the Fire Service Was an Achievement of the Moon Administration, but..."

Following Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae's remark about a "financial straw," members of the ruling party called for putting fire service funding issues on the public agenda. They said that since the transition of firefighters to national civil servants took place under the Moon Jae-in administration, when the Democratic Party of Korea was in power, the party should lead efforts to expand the national government's responsibility for fire service funding.

At the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee's audit of Gyeonggi Province on October 19, Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Yong-gi said of Governor Choo's comparison of the fire service budget to a financial straw, "I think it was an inappropriate remark," but added, "Whether she intended it or not, I think the issue has now been properly brought into public discussion."

On October 13, Governor Choo made her remark about a "troublesome financial straw" while emphasizing the "serious burden on local finances" caused by the fact that, even after firefighters became national civil servants, a substantial portion of their personnel and operating costs remained heavily dependent on local government budgets. She said, "Personnel costs alone will consume 1.1 trillion won in 2027."

Immediately after the remark, fire service organizations and labor unions criticized Governor Choo's comments. Public sentiment worsened sharply when a fire at a factory in Bucheon also claimed the life of Fire Lieutenant Kim Jin-seok and left multiple people injured. In response, Governor Choo said, "If my words were conveyed differently from what I intended, I offer my deep regret," and added, "Since you are asking for an apology, I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart." Controversy over the wording of her apology has continued.

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In this regard, lawmaker Jeon noted that the transition of firefighters to national civil servants, a long-standing goal of the fire service, took place under the former Moon Jae-in administration. He said, "We need to use this opportunity to bring the issue fully into public discussion so that the costs can be covered by the national budget."

Governor Choo responded, "In Gyeonggi Province in particular, there are many apartment-style factories, and it has not been long since the vapor accident in Hwaseong," adding, "Because chemical accidents like these occur at apartment-style factories, it is urgent to systematize operations, conduct regular inspections and preventive activities, and upgrade equipment."

Lawmaker Jeon said, "After the controversy, I looked into the relevant data, and I was even more surprised," adding, "This is the seventh year since firefighters became national civil servants, yet the central government's support accounts for only around 10% of total fire service funding, while local governments are shouldering nearly 90% in practice. In 2026, national funding for fire services accounted for just 10.7%, compared with 11% in 2015."

He said, "I learned that becoming national civil servants had not solved the problem: because they had to work with very inadequate local budgets, their working conditions were extremely poor. I came to the conclusion that national funding has actually fallen behind where it was 10 years ago," adding, "I realized there was good reason for repeated calls for tax reform to secure funding for the fire service."

Lawmaker Jeon said, "According to an analysis by the National Assembly Research Service, in 2025, the per-person clothing allowance was 700,000 won in Ulsan, compared with 250,000 won in Busan and Jeju, a threefold difference." He added, "I believe that properly funding the service through the national budget, improving firefighters' working conditions, and minimizing the harm they suffer would be a way of showing them respect." He also said, "The emergency number 119 is the same everywhere in the country. Whether you dial it in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, or an island village, it's the same 119. I don't think firefighters' working conditions should differ by region," adding, "I've heard that firefighters in some regions get a meal worth 8,000 won, while those in others eat meals costing less than 4,000 won."

Governor Choo then raised the issue of the Fire Safety Grant Tax, which relies on tobacco-specific excise taxes for funding. She said, "Rather than leaving the fire service structurally vulnerable and dependent on this funding, the national government should urgently strengthen its support and share the costs in a way that befits the service's status as a national service."

Lawmaker Jeon added, "The Democratic Party was at fault in this controversy. I believe it is the responsibility of the government and the ruling party to set things right. Governor Choo, too, should bring to a close what she began after her time as party leader and take active responsibility for resolving this issue." Governor Choo said, "I hope this will be an opportunity to set things right so that this sacrifice is not in vain, and to reaffirm what the fire service means and what we must do to ensure fire safety, and that we must never neglect investment in it."

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