Chairperson Jeon Hyun-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea's Special Committee for Comprehensive Response to the 3rd Special Investigation said on the 31st that "we must thoroughly investigate the blind spots of the special investigation and the involvement of local governments in insurrection activities" regarding Oh Se-hoon, the mayor of Seoul, Yoo Jeong-bok, the mayor of Incheon, and Kim Jin-tae, the governor of Gangwon Province, who are all from the People Power Party. The respective local leaders have since expressed strong opposition.
On the same day, the chairperson held a press conference at the National Assembly, stating, "Mayors Oh Se-hoon, Kim Jin-tae, and Yoo Jeong-bok of the metropolitan local governments are reported to have shut down their offices, controlled access, and convened emergency executive meetings on the day of martial law, but no investigations have ever been conducted regarding their acts of complicity in insurrection." She urged the special investigation to promptly commence its investigation. The Special Committee for Response to the 3rd Special Investigation will also pursue requests for data and on-site verification regarding the involvement of metropolitan local governments in insurrection.
The city of Seoul reacted immediately, issuing a statement from Deputy Mayor Kim Byeong-min, which said, "Mayor Oh convened an emergency executive meeting immediately to protect the daily lives of citizens and promptly announced his opposition to the martial law," adding, "Despite repeatedly clarifying this fact, Chairperson Jeon Hyun-hee, who spread false news about the office being closed, must be held responsible for disseminating false information."
Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok of Incheon also wrote on Facebook, "The city of Incheon has never shut down its office or controlled access in relation to the martial law," and noted, "Given the national emergency, it is both a natural and reasonable judgment and response for a mayor to confirm the situation by holding an emergency meeting with at least a few key officials to ensure the safety of citizens."
He continued, "If the Democratic Party's ongoing claims of local government complicity in martial law are confirmed to be mere baseless assertions, will you assume responsibility for that?" He firmly warned, "Stop this political operation that seeks to repress local governments without any basis, extending beyond the National Assembly."