"Not Trying to Expose Lee Jae-myung or Kim Dong-yeon": Choo Mi-ae Actively Rebuts Criticism

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae has actively stepped forward to clarify and rebut criticisms directed at her from both inside and outside political circles, including controversies over "criticizing former governors" and allegations of "hoarding funds for a presidential bid" in connection with solutions to the province's severe fiscal crisis.

During the province's monthly meeting—which was broadcast fully live for the first time in history today (September 22)—Governor Choo directly confronted the speculation surrounding her, stating, "There is no political motive or sleight of hand whatsoever."

Starting at 9:30 a.m. that day, Gyeonggi Province broadcast the monthly meeting live via the province's official YouTube channel and the "Open Governor's Office" page on its website.

Presided over by Governor Choo, the meeting was convened to discuss major policies and current issues of the provincial administration, attended by the first vice governor for administrative affairs, the vice governor for economic affairs, the head of the Fire and Disaster Headquarters, senior secretaries for policy and political affairs, as well as heads of various offices and bureaus.

The meeting proceeded with the governor's opening remarks followed by briefings on major issues. In her opening address lasting approximately 37 minutes, Governor Choo dedicated most of her time to highlighting the severity of the province's fiscal crisis.

"The financial issue is the most serious," Governor Choo said. "In a situation where we will have no money to execute the budget by the end of this month, we are not eliminating or slashing perfectly fine projects in a cruel manner as some misunderstand, but rather trying to revive projects so that we can carry out even one more."

She explained that the provincial government is responding in two directions: maintaining essential public livelihood projects and devising structural solutions to prevent fiscal crises from recurring.

Governor Choo then addressed the process that led to the fiscal crisis, remarking, "I need to address why Gyeonggi Province has been unable to manage the crisis until now. Many people ask why I keep exposing former governors Lee Jae-myung and Kim Dong-yeon when they belong to the same party, but it is by no means intended to expose or berate them."

She emphasized, "The revenue base shrank while spending increased, there was the aftermath of disaster relief funds, and the Yoon Suk-yeol administration did not distribute local allocation taxes, leaving the treasury depleted. In such times, we should have made the reality known and prepared countermeasures. Therefore, my sincerity lies in sharing this crisis and coming up with solutions; it is not a betrayal of fellow party members, and please never interpret it politically."

During her remarks, Governor Choo also noted, "Since the governorship of Gyeonggi Province is seen as a stepping stone for a presidential contender, there are rumors asking whether the current governor is also slashing existing projects to hide money away for a presidential bid. It leaves me dumbfounded; I have never lived my life that way, nor have I ever pulled such a sleight of hand in my life."

Governor Choo also appealed for understanding from the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, with which the provincial executive branch has struggled to bridge differences over the handling of a supplementary budget bill, blending humor into her remarks.

"Before entering the meeting room, my aides held onto my arm asking me to listen to the council's position, and my arm stretched by 1 cm," Choo said. "The provincial council wants to increase the supplementary budget by about 80 billion won, and as an elected official, I would like to do that too."

"The council's stance ultimately comes down to taking on more debt and tapping into the regional development fund, but that would incur daily interest burdens of 380 million won alone, and the regional development fund is money used for repairing roads, water, and sewage systems in cities and counties," she added, concluding her opening remarks by saying, "I am not trying to pick a fight with the provincial council right now, but rather making an earnest appeal."

Governor Choo subsequently received briefings on major issues, including: ▲ Comprehensive measures for Chuseok; ▲ Progress report on the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster project; ▲ Plans to establish a Gyeonggi-led regulatory innovation promotion system and rationalize overlapping regulations; ▲ Progress on the 'Pyeonhan-G Bus' (comfortable commuting bus); and ▲ Formulation of Gyeonggi-style construction standards to improve road lane visibility.

Although Gyeonggi Province has previously opened governor-presided meetings to the public, this marked the first time an entire meeting was broadcast publicly without any closed-door agenda items.

Earlier in her inaugural address in July, Governor Choo stated, "I will transparently disclose the entire process of provincial administration and make the voices of provincial residents the starting point." In a speech reporting on provincial affairs to the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, she also remarked, "I will realize transparent and open administration through regular town hall meetings and online public broadcasts of all provincial administration meetings."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.