The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party clashed over whether South Gyeongsang Province Governor Park Wan-su was present at the provincial government office during the December 3 emergency martial law declaration. Claims and counterclaims continue over the governor's absence and whether meetings were held.
Democratic Party lawmaker Kwon Hyang-yeop said in a press release Thursday that "during the December 3 emergency martial law, Governor Park Wan-su was reported to have presided over meetings and directed the establishment of safety measures for residents, but in reality, he did not even appear at the provincial government office."
Kwon cited media reports from the time and the provincial government's response materials as the basis for her claims. She said that after requesting records of meetings related to the emergency martial law, meeting minutes, directives, and incoming and outgoing official documents from the South Gyeongsang Provincial Government, she received a response of "not applicable (no records exist)," which she argued was evidence that Governor Park did not come to the office. She also criticized that "for 10 hours and 30 minutes, from the declaration of emergency martial law until Governor Park's arrival at work, the South Gyeongsang provincial administration was in a complete vacuum."
In response, the spokesperson team for candidate Park Wan-su issued a statement saying, "Concluding that the governor was absent based on the absence of records is absurd," and rebutted that "it merely means there were no separate meeting materials or directive documents, and it cannot serve as evidence that the governor was absent."
The team also criticized, "The governor's movements should be comprehensively verified through various channels, including entry records, the secretariat and accompanying staff, and situation officers in charge," adding that "concluding that he 'did not appear at the provincial office' based only on portions of phone conversations is political fabrication."
The team continued, "Governor Park clearly came to the South Gyeongsang Provincial Government office in the early hours of December 4 and presided over the relevant meeting," and demanded that the press release, which determined the governor's absence based only on portions of phone conversations without comprehensive verification of official entry records or the accompanying line, be withdrawn along with an apology.
The South Gyeongsang Provincial Government also issued a separate explanation. The province said, "Governor Park Wan-su continuously received situation reports after the declaration of martial law, and arrived at the provincial office around the time the National Assembly passed the resolution demanding the lifting of the emergency martial law, where he delivered messages regarding the stabilization of residents' livelihoods." The province added, "The 'absence of records' submitted to the National Assembly was because there were no separate countermeasure meetings or directive documents related to the martial law, and it does not mean that the governor was absent."
Meanwhile, the South Gyeongsang chapter of the Democratic Party issued a statement the same day, joining the offensive against candidate Park. The provincial chapter criticized Park for joining hands with People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk, who has defended the December 3 emergency martial law incident, at the campaign committee launch ceremony the previous day. "Even now, he has failed to clearly define the insurrection as 'insurrection' and has refused to even politically sever ties with former President Yoon Suk-yeol," the chapter said. "Candidate Park has ultimately revealed the political intentions he had been hiding behind his ambiguous attitude."
The chapter added, "An election strategy that relies on far-right agitation politics and forces defending the insurrection can never gain the trust of provincial residents," and demanded an end to politics of hatred and conflict, calling for policy competition for the people's livelihood instead.
