Kim Minseok Sternly Warns Bu Seungchan for Defending ‘Fire Service Fiscal Drain’ Remark

Orders Central Ethics Committee to Launch Ex Officio Probe

Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Minseok issued a stern warning on Monday over Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Bu Seung-chan's defense of Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae's remark about the fire service being a "fiscal drain."

Kim Minseok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. Yonhap News

The Democratic Party of Korea said Monday that Kim had sternly warned Bu over his remarks and ordered the party's Central Ethics Committee to investigate the circumstances on its own authority.

At the National Assembly's audit of Gyeonggi Province by the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee on Monday, Bu said, "Although the fire service is a national service, local governments cover about 90% of its budget." He added, "The remark about the fire service being a drain was certainly a serious mistake, but she apologized sufficiently," and asked, "What good is it to criticize her without resolving the issue at the national level?"

In response to Bu's remarks, People Power Party lawmaker Kim Eun-hye criticized them as "outrageous words that made me doubt my own ears," adding, "The funeral of a firefighter who died in the line of duty was held today (the 19th). Saying at an audit session where we are sending him off that the fire service budget is sucking public finances dry was something that should never have been said."

The audit was originally scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. but started at 1 p.m. because the funeral of the late Fire Captain Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty, was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Choo comforted the bereaved family and wept as she held their hands before the hearse departed from in front of Bucheon Gymnasium after the funeral.

At the start of the audit, Choo bowed her head and said, "I sincerely apologize to the firefighters who have been hurt by my recent remarks."

During questioning at the National Assembly's audit by the Public Administration and Security Committee on October 13, Choo said, "The fire service seems like the biggest and most troublesome drain on public finances." Then, three days later, on October 16, when asked by reporters at the scene of a fire at a painting factory in Bucheon that injured five firefighters whether she intended to apologize for her "fiscal drain" remark, she replied, "Don't bring that up."

After paying her respects on October 17, the day Fire Captain Kim died, Choo added, "Since you want an apology, I apologize," drawing criticism even from within the ruling party that it was "no apology at all."

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