“Though he’s someone I don’t respect...” The anecdote Choo Mi-ae invoked in response to calls to restore the people’s livelihood budget

[Financial News] Governor Choo Mi-ae of Gyeonggi Province responded to the People Power Party’s demand to restore the budget for people’s livelihoods by bringing up an anecdote about former President Chun Doo-hwan and saying, “Don’t just criticize—bring me a solution.”

On the 5th, Governor Choo said during a question session for the provincial administration at the third plenary meeting of the 395th regular session of the Gyeonggido Assembly that, in response to calls to restore the budget for people’s livelihoods as part of next year’s main budget, “It is deeply painful that, despite how heartbreaking and impossible to ignore people’s desperate circumstances are, we cannot reflect them in the budget.” She added, “If you want to restore the budget for people’s livelihoods, bring me a solution.”
She continued, “I tried not to quote him if I could, because he’s someone I don’t respect,” and said, “They say that when people in the same camp criticized former President Kim Dae-jung, who pursued the Sunshine Policy, former President Chun scolded them, saying, ‘Don’t just criticize; at least bring me a Moonlight Policy.’”

In response to Bang Seong-hwan, the People Power Party leader in the provincial assembly, who called it “budget butchery” the previous day, she said, “They say I butchered, slashed and cut the budget, but the reality is that I wasn’t even given money to buy a knife or a cutting board.” She added, “To say that I’m deceiving provincial residents because I haven’t restored the budget is nothing but political battering.”
Even as a People Power Party provincial assembly member criticized her plans to issue local bonds and use funds, asking, “Is it a sleight of hand when someone else does it, but fiscal innovation when I do it?”, Governor Choo pushed back: “If you’re going to say local bonds are out and funds are out, bring me a solution.”
Governor Choo also explained her recently controversial remark about “political burning at the stake.” She said, “When I asked the state to cover firefighting personnel costs even if I were burned at the stake, it wasn’t to stand out politically; it was an anguished plea and a concern about revenue.” She added, “Firefighting personnel costs will exceed 1.2 trillion won in 2027. If the state covers that, the money can go toward people’s livelihoods and help resolve things all at once.”
She continued, “Because my nickname is ‘Choo-d’Arc’ (Choo Mi-ae + Joan of Arc), people seem to think I must like the word ‘burning at the stake.’ But that’s not the case—and why would I keep using a word that doesn’t do my image any good?” She added that it was “an appeal for everyone to speak with one voice to resolve this issue.”
Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province is consulting with the provincial assembly based on an adjustment plan for next year’s main budget prepared last month, and plans to submit next year’s budget to the assembly on the 11th. The assembly intends to review and approve it during the current regular session, which runs through the 17th of next month.
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter