Democratic Party warns Governor Chu and lawmaker — Korea Herald

In South Korea, the ruling Democratic Party has issued warnings to Gyeonggi Province Governor Chu Mi-ae and lawmaker Bu Seung-chan over remarks deemed disrespectful toward firefighters. The Korea Herald reports.

Party decision

The decision was made during a closed meeting of the party’s supreme council. Democratic Party spokesperson Cho Kyo-won said the warnings were intended to make those involved seriously reflect on their actions and prevent similar incidents from recurring. He also apologized to firefighters and the public.

Chu Mi-ae faced criticism after calling the fire service the biggest “headache” and a “financial burden” for local authorities during a parliamentary audit last Tuesday.

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Governor’s apology

Bu Seung-chan defended the governor during another parliamentary audit on Monday. According to him, she had already apologized enough, while fire services do indeed place a financial burden on local budgets, although firefighters have been classified as central government employees since 2020.

Chu Mi-ae first apologized on Saturday, but her statement drew further criticism because she said she was apologizing because that was what people wanted. She said this after paying tribute to a firefighter who died while responding to a factory fire in Bucheon, west of Seoul. On Monday, the governor apologized for a second time, and the following day she met with representatives of the firefighters’ union, promising to work on their safety and working conditions.