Man Arrested for Threatening to Burn Down Governor's Residence Over "Financial Drain" Remark

A man in his 60s has been arrested by police after calling 119 to threaten to set fire to Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae's official residence, angered by her remark that "the fire department is a financial drain."

The Busan Haeundae Police Station announced that it is investigating the man, in his 60s, referred to as A, without detention on charges of obstruction of official duties by fraudulent means.

A is accused of calling 119 at around 10:30 a.m. yesterday (October 15) and threatening, "I am going to set fire to the Gyeonggi provincial governor's residence."

Police investigations revealed that A committed the act out of anger while watching news related to the parliamentary audit from a hospital room, after seeing Governor Choo comment regarding fire service budgets, saying, "The fire department seems like the biggest and most troublesome financial drain."

A reportedly stated during police questioning that he has always respected firefighters who work hard, and that he became angry upon hearing Governor Choo's remarks.

After receiving the report transferred from 119, the police tracked A's location by checking his past 112 and 119 reporting history.

Police then apprehended A at around 11:30 a.m., about an hour after the report was received, while he was hospitalized at a hospital in Haeundae-gu, Busan.

It was confirmed that A has a history of making emergency calls to 112 and 119 about a dozen times in the past.

Meanwhile, Governor Choo sparked controversy on October 13 during the parliamentary audit by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee held at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government office, where she remarked regarding the fire service budget, "The fire department seems like the biggest and most troublesome financial drain."

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