A man in his 60s was arrested by police after falsely reporting that he would set fire to the residence of Choo Mi-ae, the governor of Gyeonggi Province.
The suspect made the false report at around 10:26 a.m. on October 15, stating, "I got angry watching the news and will burn down Choo Mi-ae's residence."
According to a report by the JoongAng Ilbo on October 16, the Haeundae Police Station in Busan is investigating the man on charges of obstructing public duty by deception.
Police received the fire report and dispatched officers, who arrested the man at a hospital in Haeundae at around 11:25 a.m. He reportedly stated, "I have always loved and respected firefighters, but I got angry when Governor Choo said during the National Assembly audit that 'firefighting is a financial leech.'" It has been confirmed that he is not a firefighter or affiliated with the industry.
Authorities believe the man had no actual intention or plan to commit arson and are investigating the specific circumstances of the incident.
On October 13, Governor Choo made a controversial statement during a National Assembly audit held at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office, saying, "Firefighting seems to be the biggest financial leech." She made this remark to explain that, although firefighting personnel were transitioned to national status in 2020, significant budget burdens for personnel and operational costs still fall on local governments.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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