On October 19, lawmakers clashed during the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee audit of Gyeonggi Province over Governor Choo Mi-ae's remarks regarding a "financial straw." The People Power Party criticized Choo's apology as insincere, while the Democratic Party argued that the issue was unrelated to the audit.
In her opening statement at the audit, Choo expressed, "I sincerely apologize to the firefighters who were hurt by my recent comments."
Kim Jong-yang, a member of the People Power Party, questioned Choo's sincerity, stating, "It appeared to be a reluctant apology, as if she was pushed into it. Was this a proper apology?" He further criticized her for making "indelible, insulting remarks" to firefighters, saying she trampled on the pride of public servants who risk their lives to serve the public in difficult conditions.
In response, Democratic Party member Moon Jeong-bok raised a point of order, arguing that Kim's questioning was unrelated to the committee's work. Moon stated, "Today’s audit is not the day to apply political standards to Governor Choo," and emphasized that topics unrelated to the committee should not be brought up.
The exchange escalated as lawmakers from both parties continued to argue. Kim urged the committee chair, Democratic Party member Bok Gi-wang, to manage the meeting better, claiming that other members interrupted him while he was speaking. Moon countered, asking, "When did I interrupt?"
When Kim pressed Moon, asking whether he was there to conduct the audit or to defend Choo, Moon retorted, "Isn’t it correct that we are here to conduct a policy audit?" This led to a heated exchange between lawmakers, with raised voices occurring while microphones were off.
As tensions rose, Chair Bok intervened, stating, "If this continues, I will suspend the audit," and announced that he would not accept further points of order. He urged lawmakers to express their views while keeping in mind the late firefighter Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty during a factory fire in Bucheon on October 17. Bok requested a smooth continuation of the audit.
Earlier, Choo sparked controversy during the October 13 audit when she remarked, "Firefighting seems to be the biggest financial straw." Following this, she visited the funeral of the late firefighter Kim Jin-seok, where she expressed, "If my comments were conveyed differently than intended, I deeply regret that and sincerely apologize as you requested."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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