Gyeonggi Province to Cover Over 1 Trillion Won in National Fire Officer Salaries, Governor Demands Fiscal Reform

Governor Choo Mi‑ae of Gyeonggi Province said that the province is shouldering more than 1 trillion won in salaries for about 11,000 national fire officers, with total costs exceeding 1.5 trillion won. She noted that the central government contributes only about 800 billion won for salaries and roughly 300 billion won for other expenses, leaving the province to fund the bulk of the burden.

Choo highlighted that Gyeonggi’s budget of roughly 40 trillion won already allocates over half to centrally funded projects, and that the current arrangement threatens the province’s fiscal stability. She declared a fiscal emergency, referenced a recent 770 billion‑won budget cut, and called for urgent reform of fiscal and revenue structures to correct the imbalance.

"National personnel costs should be the central government’s responsibility, but the reality is the opposite," she said in a press conference, urging the central government to assume its share of fire service costs.