Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon on the 14th called allegations raised by the Democratic Party of Korea that some local governments were complicit in the Dec. 3 martial law "a petty political attack."
Park issued a statement that day, saying, "Busan City was the first local government to demand the withdrawal of martial law."
Earlier, the Democratic Party of Korea's special committee on responding to the insurrection probe said in a briefing on the 10th that it had confirmed circumstances indicating that the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Busan City issued "government complex closure control" directives to their subordinate agencies earlier than the time notified by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, arguing, "This constitutes aiding and executing an insurrection."
Park said, "At 12 a.m. on Dec. 4 last year, I chaired an emergency executives' meeting and, at 12:45 a.m. the same day, issued a statement that 'martial law must be withdrawn immediately,'" adding, "A demand to withdraw martial law and aiding and executing it are inherently irreconcilable acts."
Park also said regarding the "city hall building closure controversy" raised by the Democratic Party's special committee that "Busan City has consistently disclosed the facts at the time in response to data requests from National Assembly members and has never reversed its position."
Park further said, "Busan City has never once restricted citizens' basic rights or sided with martial law," adding, "On the contrary, we responded immediately to minimize confusion and protect citizen safety, and we were the first in the country to officially demand the withdrawal of martial law."
He then said, "The Democratic Party must immediately stop political attacks that distort the facts and damage the honor of Busan City and Busan citizens."
The Seoul Metropolitan Government, which the Democratic Party's special committee had mentioned earlier, also said on the 12th, "We have already, on multiple occasions, provided detailed, fact-based explanations of the situation on the day of martial law and the measures taken by the Seoul Metropolitan Government," adding, "Nevertheless, Democratic Party lawmakers and others continue to raise baseless suspicions."