Opposition lawmakers grill Gyeonggi Province over fiscal troubles, official residence

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae responds to lawmakers' questions during a National Assembly audit of Gyeonggi Province at the provincial government building in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, on Tuesday. [Yonhap]
Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae responds to lawmakers' questions during a National Assembly audit of Gyeonggi Province at the provincial government building in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, on Tuesday. [Yonhap]

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae clashed with opposition lawmakers at her first national audit since taking office Tuesday, trading sharp words over allegations of neglecting provincial governance and cuts to public welfare spending.

At the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee audit of Gyeonggi Province, People Power Party lawmaker Park Sang-ung said more than 100 days had passed since Choo took office without any sign of commitment to residents' livelihoods. "There is public sentiment questioning whether she has abandoned the province's affairs and been hovering around central politics," Park said.

Choo pushed back, saying her provincial activities and field visits were broadcast live and archived through the official YouTube channel and GTV, the provincial government's broadcaster. "I have only been expressing my views on prosecutorial reform out of a sense of duty and responsibility, during weekends or late at night after work," she said. "There has not been a single moment of neglect in governing this province."

Opposition lawmakers also pressed Choo on her stance regarding the nomination of Kim Ji-yong as head of the new Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, but she declined to answer, saying it would not be appropriate to comment on the matter at that forum.

In her opening remarks, Choo said overcoming the province's difficult fiscal situation was the most urgent challenge. "More than half of local tax revenue — about 16 trillion won ($12 billion) — depends on real estate acquisition taxes, which creates a structural limit on meeting growing fiscal demands," she said. "The money we need to spend keeps increasing, while the tax base that should support it remains unstable."

She added that the time had come to fundamentally restructure the province's fiscal framework. "Even under difficult conditions, we are focused on cutting unnecessary expenditures and protecting essential welfare spending directly tied to residents' lives," she said.

People Power Party lawmaker Joo Ho-young then challenged Choo over her use of a new official residence and official vehicle despite declaring a fiscal crisis. Choo said the residence was a jeonse arrangement — a lump-sum deposit lease — and would be returned when the contract expired. "It is hard to call it luxury or extravagance," she said.


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