A Straw Out, a Chrysanthemum In... Firefighter YouTuber's Silent Tribute to a Fallen Colleague

'Firefighter Uncle' Mourns Fire Lieutenant Kim Jinseok, Who Died in the Line of Duty
Choo Miae Apologizes Three Times After "Financial Straw" Remark
Controversy Spreads as Bu Seungchan Says Firefighting "Drains the Finances"

A YouTuber who is an active-duty firefighter posted a video paying tribute to the late Fire Lieutenant Kim Jinseok, who died in the line of duty at a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. In the video, he replaces a straw in a glass of water with a white chrysanthemum.

A single chrysanthemum, without a word... 200,000 views in one day

On the 20th, the YouTube channel "Sobanggwan Samchon" posted a 1-minute-and-8-second video titled "Straw" showing a tribute to the late Fire Lieutenant Kim Jinseok, who died in the line of duty. YouTube.

On October 20, a 1-minute-and-8-second video titled "Straw" was posted on the YouTube channel "Firefighter Uncle." Fire Sergeant Na Gyeongjin of Jincheon Fire Station in North Chungcheong Province, who runs the channel, held a white chrysanthemum beside a glass of water with a yellow straw in it, pulled out the straw, and placed the flower in the glass. The video, which had no dialogue, ended with the caption, "May the late Fire Lieutenant Kim Jinseok rest in peace." It had surpassed 200,000 views by October 21.

In the video description, Fire Sergeant Na wrote, "May the late Fire Lieutenant Kim Jinseok, who fulfilled his duty to the very end to protect the lives and safety of the public at the factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, rest in peace," adding, "I wish a speedy recovery to the fellow firefighters, both senior and junior, who worked at the scene of the fire." Since 2021, he has shared fire evacuation guidance and other everyday safety tips through parody-heavy, costume-based "B-grade" videos. He has also covered issues such as firefighters' post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and working conditions.

The video's title, "Straw," is the same word used in Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae's remark about the fire service being a "straw sucking up fire service funding." The controversy began during the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee audit of Gyeonggi Province on October 13. When People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Young-jin argued that the central government's share of fire service funding should be increased, Governor Choo replied, "As you said, firefighting seems to be the biggest and most troublesome 'financial straw,'" adding, "Personnel expenses alone will eat up KRW 1.1 trillion in 2027, and project costs will be around KRW 500 billion."

The following day, the Fire Headquarters of the Korean Government Employees' Union, which is affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, called on her to "sincerely apologize for damaging firefighters' honor." Gyeonggi Province explained that her point was that, even though firefighters had been transferred to national government status, local governments still bore most of the related costs, while the proportion of support from the national treasury was actually declining.

Backlash over "troublesome financial straw"... Choo apologizes again

Choo Miae, governor of Gyeonggi Province, shakes hands with firefighters from the Fire Headquarters of the Korean Government Employees' Union attending a meeting at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 20th. Yonhap News Agency

Three days later, on October 16, a fire broke out at a metal parts painting factory in Ojeong-gu, Bucheon. Five firefighters were injured while fighting the blaze, and one of them was taken to the hospital in cardiac arrest. While Governor Choo, who visited the scene, offered words of encouragement, some firefighters stood with their backs turned. Asked by reporters about her "straw remark," Governor Choo replied, "Let's not talk about that." On the same day, the Democratic Party of Korea apologized on her behalf in a written briefing by its spokesperson.

Governor Choo later visited the funeral parlor of the firefighter who died in the line of duty and apologized. She also apologized to firefighters during the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee audit of Gyeonggi Province on October 19. However, controversy flared up again during the same audit when Democratic Party lawmaker Bu Seung-chan referred to Governor Choo's remark, saying, "She made a serious mistake, but she has apologized enough," and added, "Although firefighters are national civil servants, local governments bear about 90% of the budget, so isn't this really draining the finances?" The audit was temporarily suspended following protests from People Power Party lawmakers, and Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok issued a stern warning to Bu and ordered an internal investigation. On October 20, Bu wrote on his social media account, "I sincerely apologize to the firefighters and members of the public who were hurt by my remarks."

The firefighters' union expanded its demands to include accountability. On October 20, the Fire Headquarters of the Korean Government Employees' Union held a press conference in front of the north gate of Gyeonggi Provincial Government and called for an official apology from Governor Choo, increased funding for the fire service, and disciplinary action against those responsible for the firefighter's death. The union said, "Portraying the fire service, which protects the lives of the public, as a waste of budget is an insult that tramples on the pride of firefighters who risk their lives at work." It also called for a thorough investigation into whether unreasonable orders to suppress the fire had been given to Fire Lieutenant Kim and other firefighters at the scene in Bucheon.

After the press conference, Governor Choo met with union representatives in her office and apologized again. "This was my mistake," she said. "I sincerely apologize, from the bottom of my heart, to all the firefighters who were hurt by my choice of words." She then proposed a funding measure under which 43.99% of the local education tax collected from tobacco consumption tax, which is set to expire at the end of this year, would be redirected to the regional resource facilities tax for firefighting and used for firefighters' personnel expenses, among other things. She said she had submitted the proposal to the Association of Governors and Mayors and President Lee Jae-myung.

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