Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Ji-won. [Yonhap]
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Ji-won. [Yonhap]

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Ji-won criticized Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae over her controversial "fiscal straw" remark, saying she had spoken "utter nonsense."

Appearing on SBS Radio's "Kim Tae-hyun's Politics Show" on Monday, Park said Choo had undermined her own apology. "If you are going to apologize, do it cleanly — saying 'I am apologizing because you are asking me to' gives people something to grab onto," he said.

Park acknowledged, however, that Choo's underlying point had merit. "What Governor Choo is saying is right," he said, noting that while firefighters have been reclassified as national civil servants, all related budget items — including equipment — have been shifted onto local governments.

Even so, Park took issue with how Choo had expressed herself. "She could have laid out those problems point by point, as a local government head," he said. "The Democratic Party apologizes when it does something wrong," Park added, "but she should have made a clean break with it."

Some Democratic Party members have called for Choo's expulsion from the party. Park advised her to try again. "If Governor Choo sincerely says once more, 'That was not my true intention,' and shows consideration for the fire department budget, things will get better," he said.

He said the central government bears fundamental responsibility for improving how it handles fire service and welfare funding, but added that "the party leadership should at least issue a warning" to Choo.

The controversy began Tuesday, when Choo told a National Assembly audit of Gyeonggi Province by the Public Administration and Security Committee that the fire service was "the biggest headache — like a fiscal straw" draining local government finances, referring to budget pressures stemming from firefighters' reclassification as national civil servants.

Choo drew further criticism Saturday, when she visited the funeral home of the late Fire Lieutenant Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty in a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. After paying her respects, she said, "If my intention was conveyed differently than I meant, I offer my deepest regrets — and since you are asking for an apology, I sincerely apologize with all my heart," a statement that was itself widely criticized.


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