Party says Choo's apology was arrogant to the end, leading with grievance over remorse

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae speaks outside the funeral home at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital for the late Senior Fire Officer Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty in a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Saturday. [Yonhap]
Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae speaks outside the funeral home at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital for the late Senior Fire Officer Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty in a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Saturday. [Yonhap]

The People Power Party on Saturday sharply criticized Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae even after she apologized at the funeral home for a firefighter killed in a Bucheon factory fire, dismissing her remarks as "lengthy self-justification" over her earlier "fire department funding straw" comment.

PPP Chief Spokesperson Park Sung-hoon said in a statement that he "could not hide his dismay" at Choo's apology, saying she led with her own sense of grievance rather than acknowledging her wrongdoing.

Park said that when Choo met reporters after paying her condolences, she said, "Since you want an apology, I sincerely apologize with all my heart" — a formulation he found deeply wanting. "Her apology was arrogant to the end," he said. "Did she go there to apologize, or to make excuses?"

Park said what made it worse was "the lengthy self-justification that poured out immediately after the apology," adding that Choo went on to enumerate fiscal problems, list her past achievements and ultimately appeal for people to understand the true intent of her remarks. "The funeral home of a fallen firefighter is not a grievance office for Choo to air her sense of injustice," he said.

PPP floor spokesperson Choi Su-jin also weighed in after meeting reporters at the National Assembly the same day. "I was taken aback. It is utterly shameless, and of course we will not accept it as a genuine apology," she said. "She needs to apologize properly."


ehkim@heraldcorp.com