Choo Mi-ae Says, "I'm Not Going to Be Ousted"... On the Day Her Resignation Petition Ended, She Compared Herself to a "Daughter-in-Law Who Married into Gyeonggi Province"

[Financial News] Choo Mi-ae, governor of Gyeonggi Province, said on the day a petition calling for her resignation ended that she had no intention of stepping down. She compared herself to a daughter-in-law who had married into Gyeonggi Province.

According to political sources on the 17th, Choo spoke at the Gyeonggi Real Estate Conference held at Dasan Hall in the Gyeonggi Provincial Office on the afternoon of the 15th. She explained Gyeonggi Province's fiscal situation and its reliance on real estate transaction taxes, comparing herself to a daughter-in-law who had married into the province.
At the event, attended by around 500 people, including licensed real estate agents and provincial residents, Choo said, "I thought that if I married into Gyeonggi Province, I would be marrying into a rich family. But when I took charge of the household finances, I found that the vaults that had been built up were completely depleted and that there were piles of IOUs."

She also discussed the relationship between Gyeonggi Province's finances and the real estate market. Choo said, "Tax revenue comes in only when real estate transactions are active, so I can do well only if all of you here do well. Half of Gyeonggi Province's tax revenue depends on real estate transaction taxes, known as acquisition tax. That makes you and me a community of shared fate."
She added, "Real estate transactions need to be more active, but Gyeonggi takes the hit as housing prices in Seoul keep rising. Since transactions have slowed because land transaction permit zones continue to remain in place, I imagine things may be difficult for you as well."
Choo stressed, "Gyeonggi Province cannot stop working simply because it has no money. Gyeonggi Province will do well only if you do well. I, Choo Mi-ae, am not going to be ousted."
She then referred to the petition calling for her resignation, saying, "There are apparently people trying to drive the daughter-in-law out. I am also somewhat of a strict conservative. Responsibility comes first."
Choo explained Gyeonggi Province's fiscal situation since she took office. She said, "It is already September in the Gyeonggi provincial administration, but we only have the finances to run things through September; budgets for October, November and December had not been set. That was the ledger I inherited."
She continued, "I inherited finances in which no budget had been reflected at all for three months. So I have a lot on my mind every morning on my way to work. Some people tell me to 'wake up.' If simply waking up could fill the coffers, I would be delighted. Even if I wake up over coffee every morning, it is a serious problem if no money comes in. That is why you really need to do well."

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province has already issued a response to a petition posted on its petition bulletin board under the title "Petition Calling for Governor Choo Mi-ae's Resignation."
If a petition receives more than 10,000 endorsements after being posted, the governor is required to respond personally within 30 days. Once the response is completed, additional endorsements are no longer accepted.
The petition, posted on the 11th, was scheduled to close one month later, on October 11, but ended early after the response process was completed. As a result, the number of participants stood at 30,775.
The province's response was found to be identical in content to the written briefing that Hong Eun-gwang, a spokesperson for Gyeonggi Province, released to the media the previous day.
On the 14th, spokesperson Hong addressed the petition calling for Governor Choo's resignation after it received more than 10,000 endorsements and became subject to an official response. He said, "Gyeonggi Province's 2026 essential budget for residents' livelihoods, drawn up last year, covered only nine months. After making substantial use of various funds and internal resources, the province is also in a situation where it has almost no additional fiscal capacity that can be mobilized. Nevertheless, we deeply regret the distortion of facts to make it appear as though the ninth popularly elected provincial administration deliberately cut a properly budgeted livelihood budget."
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