Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks to reporters before entering the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday for the final hearing in an illegal poll funding case. (Yonhap)
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon faced a request for an 18-month prison sentence Wednesday over allegations that he illegally arranged for a supporter to pay for opinion polls during his 2021 mayoral campaign.
The request was made by a special counsel team led by Min Joong-ki during Oh’s final hearing at the Seoul Central District Court. The team also sought forfeiture of 33 million won ($22,000).
Oh is accused of instructing Kim Han-jung, a supporter, to pay for opinion polls conducted by political broker Myung Tae-kyun in connection with the People Power Party’s nomination process for the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election.
According to the special counsel, the forfeiture amount corresponds to payments for 10 opinion polls that Oh allegedly received from Myung, who is separately standing trial on allegations of manipulating poll results.
Kang Cheol-won, a former Seoul vice mayor and Oh’s chief secretary during the campaign, was indicted alongside Oh for allegedly coordinating with Myung regarding the polls. Prosecutors sought one-year prison terms for both Kang and Kim.
“Despite being a prominent politician who should be more committed than anyone to complying with the Political Funds Act, Oh had a third party pay for opinion polls closely related to his political activities without following legal procedures, undermining the legislative purpose of ensuring transparency in political funding,” the special counsel said.
The special counsel further criticized Oh for denying the allegations throughout the investigation and trial despite being the alleged ultimate beneficiary.
Oh’s lawyer dismissed the case as a fraud and extortion scheme orchestrated by Myung, arguing that Oh had neither a reason nor a need to have someone else pay for the polls.
“No one can tell which parts of Myung’s erratic statements are true and which are false,” the lawyer said. “The special counsel’s indictment is a patchwork case built on selectively chosen remarks.”
The defense further accused Myung of manipulating investigative authorities and attempting to influence the judiciary, calling the situation “deeply troubling.”
The court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on July 22.
Oh was reelected in the June 3 local elections, but a conviction carrying a fine of 1 million won or more would strip him of his elected office. Such a conviction would also bar him from running for public office for at least five years under the Political Funds Act.
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