Lee Jun-seok: “Choo Mi-ae keeps provoking the fire service, which has done nothing wrong ... She seems to be trying to become ‘Choo-d’Arc’”

[Financial News] Lee Jun-seok, a Reform Party lawmaker, criticized Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae for using the phrase “even if I am politically burned at the stake” in discussing fire service funding, saying, “She keeps provoking the fire service, which has done nothing wrong.”
On the 25th, Lee took aim at Gov. Choo in a Facebook post, saying, “It’s unfortunate. With nowhere left to spend money because of the lavish welfare programs Lee Jae Myung showered on Gyeonggi Province for political gain, she can’t say, ‘I can’t keep doing this job as governor,’ so instead she keeps provoking the fire service, which has done nothing wrong.”
In an interview with Yonhap News Agency on the 23rd, Gov. Choo had said, “The fire service funding problem won’t be solved by hiding behind my controversial remarks and criticizing me,” adding, “I am determined to see fitting reforms made to address this issue, which our society has ignored, even if I am politically burned at the stake.”
Commenting on the remarks, Lee said, “Given that Gov. Choo uses a word like ‘burning at the stake,’ which is completely inappropriate, it looks as if she is trying to become ‘Choo-d’Arc’ by highlighting that Gyeonggi Province’s finances are in difficulty.” He added, “Historically, to begin with, the Democratic Party of Korea is a party that buys votes by spending money, not one that saves money and worries about the future.”
Lee also took issue with Gov. Choo’s past record. He said, “On April 1, 2020, when firefighters were transferred to national civil servant status, Gov. Choo was minister of justice and a member of the State Council,” and criticized her, saying, “Her current argument would carry more weight if, at the time, she had ensured that the national government bore the entire financial burden alongside the transition to national status.”
He added, “As a former party leader, she could have persuaded the Democratic Party of Korea, and as a member of the State Council, she could have persuaded President Moon Jae-in,” before saying, “Go ahead and proclaim that everything is because of President Lee Jae Myung’s profligate record during his time as Gyeonggi governor.”
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter