On Deletion of CCTV Footage in Yongsan and Seocho Districts:
"Need for System Reorganization"
On Myeong Taegyun Controversy:
"Refraining from Specific Response"
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated regarding the controversy that the military extensively accessed Seoul City's closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage during the emergency martial law on December 3rd, "I believe that once the martial law and impeachment phases are over, this issue should be addressed." He also expressed regret toward Yongsan-gu and Seocho-gu for not complying with Seoul City's request to preserve the footage at that time.
On the 21st, Mayor Oh attended a city council question session and responded to a question from Park Soo-bin (Democratic Party, Gangbuk 4) about any follow-up measures related to the controversy, saying, "I do not know exactly how it was used in the military operation, but I was later informed that the military could automatically access the footage."
On the 21st, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attended the Seoul Metropolitan Council's policy question session. Photo by Seoul City.
Mayor Oh agreed with Park's point that it is necessary to retrospectively verify whether the access was appropriate for its intended purpose. He added, "In urgent situations such as national emergencies, it is desirable to thoroughly examine whether establishing prior procedures would aid swift responses and to prepare alternatives. There are many cases where regulations operate after the fact. This is an issue that requires careful discussion between the central and local governments."
Regarding Yongsan-gu and Seocho-gu not complying with Seoul City's request to preserve CCTV footage on the day of martial law, he said, "If the city requested it, cooperation should naturally have been established, but I was surprised to hear that this was overlooked and the footage was immediately deleted. I think the cooperation system needs to be reorganized going forward."
Previously, Seoul City requested eight autonomous districts five times in December last year to preserve the CCTV footage from the day of martial law. However, Yongsan-gu and Seocho-gu did not comply with this request, and since the automatic preservation period of 30 days has passed, all footage has now been deleted.
When asked whether it was appropriate to promote Park Hyun-soo, who was suspected of being involved in the emergency martial law incident, to the position of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner, Mayor Oh said, "There were investigations by investigative agencies before and after the appointment, but I heard that no special issues were revealed." The appointment of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner involves a procedure where the National Police Agency consults with the Seoul Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee.
Additionally, regarding the 'Myeong Tae-gyun suspicion,' Mayor Oh stated, "As I respond to each issue, I feel like I am falling into Myeong Tae-gyun's strategy to harm me, so I am refraining from responding specifically." However, he emphasized, "Please note that I am still urging the prosecution to investigate weekly."
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