Gyeonggi governor under fire for 119 call

By Kim Rahn

Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo’s call to a fire station is drawing public indignation, after two officers were transferred to other stations because they failed to recognize the governor and took it as a prank call.

The provincial government explained the officers didn’t follow due procedure but people denounced Kim for making the call when there was no emergency.

According to the local government and the Gyeonggi Provincial Fire and Disaster Headquarters, Kim visited a welfare center for the elderly in Namyangju on Dec. 19.

During the visit, he called Namyangju Fire Station through 119, the emergency hotline for fire and other disasters, to inquire about how they transfer cancer patients.

In the phone conversation record released on the Internet, Kim said, “Hello, I’m Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo.” Then the answering fire officer said, “Yes, how can I help you?”

Kim again said he was the Gyeonggi governor, and the officer again asked what made him call. Such a conversation was repeated several times, while Kim kept asking what the officer’s name was.

The officer then said, “You made an emergency call, so please let me know what it is.”

Kim said, “Are you not answering to the governor’s question?” As the situation continued, the officer hung up the phone.

Kim then made a second call to say, “I’m Governor Kim Moon-soo. Who is this, is this the one who answered a minute ago?”

It was a different officer, so he said “No” and told Kim his name, but Kim again asked about the previous officer. The new officer said, “You called 119 emergency,” and Kim rang off after saying, “Fine.”

Kim notified the fire headquarters chief of this, and the agency transferred the officers on Dec. 23 in a disciplinary measure.

As criticism soared, Kim visited the headquarters Thursday evening and ordered the officers returned to their original post in Namyangju.

‘It’s your fault, governor’

After this was made public, citizens have poured criticism on the governor, saying it was Kim, not the officers, who made the mistake because it was wrong to dial 119 when there was no emergency.

One citizen named Ahn Cheol-jun said on the agency’s website, “As a father who received help from 119 when my child was in an emergency situation, I deeply thank 119 officers. I thought 119 was the number for the people who have a real emergency but apparently those in high￢-ranking positions don’t think so.”

Culture critic Chin Jung-kwon said the transfer of the officers was an abuse of power.

“Kim may have felt bad, but he should have come to the point when the officer asked him why he called. A fire fighter’s duty is not recognizing a governor’s voice but accepting emergency reports and moving to handle them. Kim interfered with the officers’ duty,” Chin said on Twitter.

The provincial government’s website was shut down Thursday due to an overload of traffic as many citizens tried to leave messages denouncing the governor there.

In response, the local government said the officers were transferred not because they didn’t recognize Kim but because they didn’t follow the call response manual.

“According to the manual, officers should first state their names when a 119 call is accepted and should respond to the call sincerely. It disciplined them due to their decision on whether the call was a hoax or not,” it said in a press release.

It added in February 2009 there was an occasion where an emergency patient sought help from the fire station in question through 119 but an officer took it as a hoax and didn’t take any measure, resulting in the patient’s death.

“If we neglect such misunderstandings, it will eventually hurt citizens. So we took disciplinary action.”

The firefighter in question, who answered Kim’s first call, apologized Thursday to the governor and related fire officials for his rash act and mistake.

“Firefighters are supposed to give their ranks and names and sincerely respond to reports according to the manual but I hastily judged it a prank call at my discretion and ignored the regulations,” he said in a message he posted on the provincial government’s website.

He apologized to Kim, adding the governor has paid attention to firefighters and implemented measures to improve their working conditions.

Despite this, bloggers are busy posting parodies and jokes on the phone conversation.