▲ Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae is interviewed by reporters at her office in the Gyeonggi Provincial Government complex in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 23rd.
Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae has drawn a firm line, stating that she will resolve the issue of firefighter labor costs "even if I face political execution."
Despite drawing fierce criticism and receiving a warning from the party leadership over her so-called "firefighting budget straw" remark, she signaled that she will not back down on the issue of firefighting finances.
In an interview with Yonhap News on the 23rd, Governor Choo said, "I have made up my mind that even if I am politically executed, I hope appropriate innovations will be made regarding this issue that our society has turned a blind eye to."
Regarding her "straw" remark, she apologized once again, noting that the expression was inappropriate.
As her key achievement in the early days of her term, she cited making the financial crisis of Gyeonggi Province public.
She stated that next year's main budget will be formulated centering on life, safety, vulnerable groups, and people's livelihoods.
Regarding backlashes over the reduction of the Labor Bureau in her first organizational restructuring plan, she refuted the criticism by saying, "I cannot agree," and adding, "There will be no drop in the importance of necessary tasks."
Below is a Q&A with Governor Choo.
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Q. Nearly four months have passed since your inauguration. What are your thoughts as the first female head of a upper-level local government?
[Personally, I do not like expressions like the first female head of a regional government. Ultimately, I believe the society we should pursue is one where such expressions are not even needed to describe things naturally. I am well aware that the path I am taking is regarded as significant by many female politicians. I am approaching provincial administration so that the 'path walked first' does not become shaken.]
Q. What are your major achievements since taking office?
[It was important to transparently inform the residents of Gyeonggi Province about the province's financial situation. I thought that only then could we find solutions and gather strength from the central government and the National Assembly. Regarding future provincial administration, we are building visions for the semiconductor industry, resolving transportation issues, Gyeonggi-style housing visions, settling integrated care, and developing the northeastern region of Gyeonggi.]
Q. You caused a controversy regarding firefighting finances. What happened?
[We formed a financial innovation task force to resolve the financial crisis, and the TF presented an opinion that 'firefighting is the biggest burden.' While safety and welfare are both essential fields, I was venting about the situation where we had to choose between the two due to financial issues, and the expression used was inappropriate. At the time, the right word did not come to mind, and trying to express the weight in my heart became a lapse in judgment. I offer my repeated apologies.]
Q. Some interpret this as turning a misfortune into a blessing, such as pushing for expanded national budget support for firefighting budgets.
[It is not about an individual turning misfortune into a blessing; the political circle now needs to approach this with real responsibility. Hiding behind my controversial remark and criticizing me will not solve the firefighting finance issue. I have resolved that even if I am politically executed, I hope appropriate innovations are made on this issue that our society has overlooked.]
Q. The first organizational restructuring plan has been announced for legislation. There is backlash over the abolition of the Immigration Society Bureau and the reduction of the Labor Bureau.
[This organizational restructuring is designed to make overcoming Gyeonggi Province's financial crisis, the semiconductor industry, transportation, and housing our core tasks. It is difficult to agree with the criticism that the Labor Bureau is being reduced. The core agenda of labor is workplace safety. Promoting labor and industrial safety together is very important from a labor perspective. Even if organizational adjustments occur through this restructuring, the importance of necessary tasks will not diminish.]
Q. What are the key focus areas for next year's main budget?
[No matter what methods we use, available financial resources are 1 trillion won less compared to previous years. There are many difficulties, but as we formulate a plan in consultation with the Provincial Council, we will find a solution. We plan to draw up the budget by placing life, safety, vulnerable groups, and people's livelihoods at the center through consultation and communication.]
Q. How do you plan to consult with the Provincial Council?
[I have asked executive officials to make more efforts to communicate with the Provincial Council and instructed them to actively gather opinions from the council. We will strengthen communication through any means, including a ruling-opposition-government consultative body. We also plan to hold party-government consultations with the Gyeonggi Provincial Party of the Democratic Party.]
Q. Regarding the standard setting the provincial government subsidy rate at 30 percent for Gyeonggi Province and city/county matching projects, there are demands for differential subsidies based on local financial capacity. How will you coordinate this?
[I recently held a meeting with the delegation of the Gyeonggi Mayors and County Governors Association, and there was a request for Gyeonggi Province to flexibly operate subsidy rates according to the financial capacity of each city and county. I think we naturally should do so. They also gave an opinion that projects whose goals have been achieved to a certain extent should be phased out together, and I agree in broad terms.]
Q. You are pushing for a restructuring of the local tax system. What is the outlook?
[We are initiating legislation for the three major tax system reform proposals. Raising the local consumption tax rate was also accomplished during the Moon Jae-in administration. Public opinion securing firefighting financial resources has also formed, increasing the possibility for this part as well. I think it should reach a level where the state bears the entire labor cost of firefighters. The corporate tax issue under national taxes is also a task that needs to be solved.]
Q. During the parliamentary audit of Gyeonggi Province by the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee on the 19th, you announced the resumption of research services for the Gyeonggi International Airport.
[This came up in the process of answering questions from lawmakers during the audit, and I explained the resumption of services in the sense that I agree with the necessity and vision of the airport. Promoting an international airport is a national affair, not a local one. Gyeonggi Province has decided to establish a civilian international airport using purely national funds without injecting provincial finances, and related services are currently underway.]
Q. What are the policies to enhance the competitiveness of the southern Gyeonggi semiconductor belt, including the Yongin semiconductor cluster?
[We aim to build the world's best, highly complete semiconductor ecosystem that connects the entire process from production, design, materials, parts, and equipment, testing and evaluation, to post-processing most quickly and stably. We will actively support early expansion of production capacity by cooperating closely with the government and businesses. From the perspective of resident acceptance, I also think the social responsibility of semiconductor companies is important.]
Q. What do you want to say to the residents of the province?
[The person at the forefront of reform is always having a hard time. However, that change goes back to the people behind them and the next generation. It does not matter if my term does not shine. With the conviction that the path I am taking now is for Gyeonggi Province, I will fulfill my calling.]
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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