Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae said she hopes to see reform of fire department financing "even if it means being burned at the stake politically."
In an interview with Yonhap released Sunday, Choo called for politicians to respond with genuine accountability. "The political world must approach this with real responsibility," she said. "Hiding behind my controversial remarks and criticizing me will not solve the fire department fiscal problem."
Asked whether she had caused a stir with her comments on fire department finances, Choo explained that a fiscal innovation TF she had formed to address a budget crisis had flagged fire services as "the biggest burden." She said she had been voicing the difficult position of having to choose between safety and welfare — both essential areas — because of fiscal constraints, and that her wording had been inappropriate. "Both safety and welfare are indispensable fields, but the fiscal situation forces us to choose between the two," she said. "I was trying to express that weight, and it became a blunder."
She went on to say that the right words had not come to her at the time. "The right word did not come to mind, and what I meant to convey as a sense of burden turned into a mistake," she said. "I sincerely apologize once again."
When asked whether the controversy could turn into an opportunity — for instance by pushing for expanded national government support for fire department budgets — Choo said personal gain from the episode was beside the point. "What matters now is that the political world approaches this with real responsibility," she said. "Criticizing me while hiding behind my controversial remarks will not resolve the fire department fiscal problem."
min3654@heraldcorp.com
