"Political Immolation Even If It Happens to Me"...Choo Mi-ae's Firefighting Remarks Reignite Controversy

Controversy has reignited in political circles as Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae mentioned "immolation" in relation to firefighting budget issues.

According to political circles on the 26th, Governor Choo stated on the 23rd, "Even if I face political immolation, I have the determination that this problem overlooked by our society should undergo appropriate innovation." The statement was made public on the 25th.

During a National Assembly Administration and Safety Committee audit on Gyeonggi Province on the 13th, Governor Choo repeatedly apologized for comparing firefighting to a "financial straw." However, she reconfirmed her position that the fiscal structure in which local governments bear a substantial portion of personnel costs despite firefighters' conversion to national civil servants should be improved.

Previously, Governor Choo faced backlash from firefighters over her audit remarks, and when visiting a funeral altar for a deceased firefighter on the 17th, she stirred further controversy with expressions like "since you are asking for an apology." Subsequently, when Democratic Party Rep. Bu Seung-chan used similar expressions, the Democratic Party's Supreme Council decided to issue warnings to both on the 21st.

Governor Choo's side stated at the time, "We humbly accept the party's warning resolution and will exercise caution in our future words and actions."

However, two days later, the opposition unanimously opposed the "political immolation" remark.

The People Power Party's Gyeonggi Province branch issued a commentary on the 26th under the name of spokesperson Kim Han-seul, criticizing, "After the ghostly discipline, what came back was not the grave reflection the party urged for, but rather an unexpected resolve for immolation."

The provincial branch argued, "The governor who attended the funeral ceremony of firefighters who died fighting fires spoke of bearing his own political burden, and the metaphor he chose was none other than 'immolation,'" adding, "This is deception wearing the mask of an apology while playing the role of a victim."

In particular, it labeled the Democratic Party's warning measure as "ghostly discipline" and raised questions about the party leadership's responsibility.

In fact, the Democratic Party's warning measure became embroiled in controversy immediately after its announcement regarding whether it constituted official discipline. Article 7 of the Democratic Party's Party Rules, the "Ethics Arbitration Rules," defines a warning as a disciplinary measure urging caution to the subject in written form.

However, Democratic Party spokesperson Cho Gye-won stated on the 21st that the warning constitutes discipline but is not emergency discipline, and party staff confirmed they could not verify whether the disciplinary procedures under party rules were conducted. At the time, Governor Choo's side was reportedly not even given separate written notice.

The People Power Party's Gyeonggi Province branch argued, "The Democratic Party leadership's shallow strategy of covering up the matter through ghostly discipline without a single written document has been exposed before the unrestrained defiance and arrogance of the ruling party's provincial governor," demanding official discipline according to party rules.

Rep. Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party (Hwaseong, Gyeonggi) also criticized Governor Choo on his SNS on the 25th, questioning whether she is trying to become a "Jeanne d'Arc" by highlighting Gyeonggi Province's fiscal difficulties. In particular, he raised the point that Governor Choo was Justice Minister and a Cabinet member under the Moon Jae-in government in 2020 when the firefighters' nationalization was implemented, arguing that responsibility from the previous government should also be questioned.

As the controversy that started with the firefighting budget issue has expanded into political conflict over Governor Choo's successive remarks and the Democratic Party's disciplinary procedures, the legal and party-rule nature of the warning decided by party leadership and its effectiveness have resurfaced as key issues.