Request from Democratic Party's Special Committee for Responding to the Insurrection Investigation
Yoon Hojoong: "Thorough Investigation to Leave No Doubt"
Seoul Metropolitan Government: "Baseless Suspicions... Completely Unfounded"
On September 12, Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Hojoong announced, "The Ministry will conduct its own fact-finding investigation regarding suspicions that some local governments were involved on the day of the 12·3 Martial Law."
On this day, Minister Yoon stated on Facebook, "The Democratic Party's Special Committee for Responding to the Insurrection Investigation requested the formation of an internal inspection team within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety," and made this announcement.
Minister Yoon emphasized, "A thorough investigation is the first step to preventing a recurrence of the illegal 12·3 Martial Law incident and the first button to resolving public suspicion," adding, "We will conduct a prompt and thorough investigation to ensure that no doubts remain and report the findings to the public."
On September 10, the Democratic Party's Special Committee for Responding to the Insurrection Investigation urged the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to conduct an inspection, stating, "There is evidence that Seoul and Busan city governments 'aided and abetted the insurrection.'" The committee claimed, based on materials submitted to the National Assembly by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, "The Seoul Metropolitan Government relayed instructions approximately 40 minutes before receiving directives from the Ministry."
However, the Seoul Metropolitan Government issued a statement refuting these claims, saying, "The Seoul Metropolitan Government did not close its city hall on that day," and "The claim that we relayed instructions to close and control access to the building is completely untrue." In a statement released on September 10 under the name of spokesperson Lee Minkyoung, it was explained, "At 11:25 p.m. on December 3, we received instructions from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety via telephone to 'close the building and control access.' We relayed these instructions mechanically through the duty linkage system to the district offices at 12:09 a.m. on December 4, in accordance with the duty room manual."
The statement continued, "Upon hearing reports of martial law, Mayor Oh drove himself and arrived at city hall at 11:19 p.m. on December 3, convened an emergency executive meeting, and established and announced the city's official position of 'opposing martial law and demanding its immediate withdrawal.' Among the heads of local governments from the People Power Party, he was the first to declare opposition to martial law and call for its withdrawal," the statement emphasized.
Regarding the Ministry's fact-finding investigation, the statement added, "We have already provided detailed accounts of the events and the Seoul Metropolitan Government's actions on the day of martial law, based on facts, on numerous occasions. Nevertheless, Democratic Party lawmakers and others continue to raise baseless suspicions." The statement concluded, "The Seoul Metropolitan Government will clearly demonstrate that there is not a single doubt and will confidently counter these political attacks."
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