Gyeongi Governor Faces Heavy Backlash After Comments Questioning Pay of Firefighters

Definitely not smart to criticize one of the few public professions that most people have a positive opinion of:

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Choo Mi-ae, left, remains silent as a firefighter turns his back on her after his colleagues were injured in a factory blaze in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Earlier that week, Choo made remarks describing firefighting as a “straw” sucking up the province’s finances. Yonhap

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Choo Mi-ae faces growing backlash over derogatory remarks portraying firefighting as a drain on provincial finances, with her subsequent apology drawing further criticism for lacking sincerity after a firefighter died battling a factory blaze in a city in the province.

Choo’s repeated attempts to explain her intentions have only backfired as they were seen as lacking sincerity, with the opposition demanding a clearer apology and some members of her own party urging a disciplinary measure against her.

The controversy began on Tuesday during a National Assembly audit of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, when Choo mentioned the burden of firefighters’ personnel costs on local finances.

“Firefighting seems to be the biggest headache, like a straw sucking up our finances,” she said, seeking to highlight that local governments still have to pay firefighters’ salaries even though they are now national government employees.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but the timing of her comments only added fuel to the fire (pun intended). That is because shortly after her comments six firefighters were in hired fighting a blaze with one later passing away. At the memorial ceremony the governor was highly criticized by people in attendance.