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.
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.
Great job by these ROK firefighters who undoubtedly gained some valuable forest fire experience to bring back with them to Korea:
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| Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks in front of Korean firefighters on their way back to Korea from Ottawa, Wednesday. Screenshot from X |
anadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday tweeted a video clip of himself expressing gratitude to a Korean emergency firefighting team who helped his country deal with raging wildfires.
Korea Times
“This morning in Ottawa, I got to send off an incredible group of people. They came from Korea and spent the last few weeks battling wildfires in Quebec,” Trudeau said in the video message posted on social media. “On behalf of all Canadians ― I thanked them for their heroic work.”
The Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT), comprised of 151 personnel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Korea Forest Service, the National Fire Agency and the medical sector, arrived in Lebel-sur-Quevillon, Quebec, on July 2. Two days later, they began a month-long mission fighting the natural disaster that prompted the Quebec provincial government to declare a state of emergency.
You can read more at the link.
