“Pulled out the straw and put in a chrysanthemum”... Serving firefighter moved to tears by tribute video with no captions

[Financial News] Amid continued controversy over Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae’s “fire-service budget straw” remark despite repeated apologies, a one-minute video posted by a serving firefighter in memory of a colleague who died in the line of duty is spreading online.

On the 20th, a video titled “Straw” was posted to the YouTube channel “Firefighter Uncle.”
The video has no dialogue or captions to speak of. It opens with a shot of a single yellow straw in a glass of water.
A short while later, a firefighter wearing a mourning ribbon on his chest appears in silence. He quietly removes the straw from the glass, places a white chrysanthemum where it stood, then leaves without a word.
Then the fire service song “Eulogy” plays alongside a memorial message: “May the late Fire Lieutenant Kim Jin-seok rest in peace.”
“While wearing the same uniform and doing the same work / O you who went before us / We have gained love and honor through your sacrifice / How can we repay this debt? / We cannot repay it; there is no way / To protect that love and honor / We will sweat and strengthen our resolve” (Full lyrics of “Eulogy”)
As the video was taken to be aimed at Governor Choo’s “fire-service budget straw” remark, it was quickly shared across various online communities.

Earlier, at the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee audit of Gyeonggi Province on the 13th, Governor Choo drew a backlash from firefighters by pointing out that local governments bear around 90% of the funding for the fire service, whose personnel are national civil servants, and saying, “The fire service seems like the biggest headache—a financial drain.”
Criticism of Governor Choo intensified when Fire Lieutenant Kim died in the line of duty at a factory fire in Bucheon on the 17th, four days later. That day, Choo paid her respects at the funeral home and said, “I deeply regret that my remarks were conveyed differently from what I intended.”
However, after it became known that she had said at the same venue, “You want an apology, so I’m apologizing,” further criticism arose over the sincerity of her apology.
After attending Fire Lieutenant Kim’s funeral on the 19th, Governor Choo apologized again during the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee’s audit of Gyeonggi Province, saying, “I sincerely apologize to all the firefighters who have been hurt by my recent remarks.”
The following day, the 20th, she met with firefighters, including Kwon Young-gak, head of the Fire Headquarters of the Korean Government Employees’ Union, and bowed her head once again, saying, “I would like to apologize once again.”
The video was made by Na Gyeong-jin, a senior firefighter at Jincheon Fire Station in North Chungcheong Province. He launched the channel in November 2021 and has introduced fire-safety tips in a playful parody format, but this time conveyed his tribute using only a straw and a chrysanthemum, without a single line of dialogue.
Viewers responded with comments such as, “This is satire and a way of showing respect for the dead,” “The outro song chokes me up,” and “It’s both amazing and sad that anger can be expressed so briefly and with such dignity.”

[email protected] Seong Min-seo Reporter