▲ Kang Jun-hyun, senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, holds a press briefing on pending issues at the National Assembly on the 12th.
The Democratic Party of Korea (DP) targeted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who was sentenced in the first trial to a penalty that would strip him of his mayoral position for violating the Political Funds Act, urging him today to "humumbly acknowledge his guilt and fulfill his legal and political responsibilities."
Kang Jun-hyun, senior spokesperson for the DP, stated this through a written briefing today, calling the ruling "justice served" for "a clear crime in which he received opinion poll results from a political broker and had a sponsor cover the costs."
"The court has proven that Mayor Oh utilized opinion polls commissioned from a political broker in his election and had a sponsor pay for the costs," senior spokesperson Kang pointed out, adding, "This is a blatant violation of the Political Funds Act and an undermining of the electoral system itself, which is the foundation of democracy."
"Until right before the sentencing, Mayor Oh claimed that the special counsel and the DP were forcing a contrived guilty verdict, maintaining a shameless attitude instead of showing remorse," he added, stating, "There is no room for pathetic excuses in front of the judiciary's stern judgment."
Chung Cheong-rae, former leader of the DP who led the party during the June 3 local elections this year, wrote on Facebook today, "This is a lenient and grossly insufficient sentence compared to what was sought," adding, "I hope that a heavier sentence fitting his crimes will be handed down in the second trial.
While losing his mayoral position is fortunate, I hope he receives an even stricter punishment."
DP lawmakers who ran in the party's Seoul mayoral primary during the last local elections also issued statements in unison, calling for his resignation from the mayoral post.
Lawmaker Park Joo-min posted on Facebook, "Distorted opinion polls, 33 million won covered by someone else. A mayoral position built upon them," criticizing that, "Oh Se-hoon is not qualified to be mayor. There is no place for a fraudulent mayor in Seoul."
Lawmaker Jeon Hyun-heui of the same party also emphasized on Facebook, "A guilty verdict is a natural outcome given that this is a grave electoral crime that distorted public sentiment with money and undermined election fairness," adding, "A mayor who has betrayed the citizens' trust has no justification to be responsible for Seoul's municipal administration."
Lawmaker Kim Young-bae pointed out in a Facebook post, "Mayor Oh Se-hoon's consistent lies have been confirmed in court," and stated, "If Mayor Oh has the bare minimum of conscience as a public official, stepping down quietly is the right thing to do. A shaken Seoul municipal administration will ultimately cause damage back to the 10 million Seoul citizens."
Im Myung-hee, spokesperson for the Rebuilding Korea Party, urged in a National Assembly briefing today, "Returning Seoul's municipal administration to normality as soon as possible is the only remaining duty Mayor Oh can perform for the public and Seoul citizens," demanding, "Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon must immediately resign from his post without deceiving citizens through further meaningless stalling."
The 22nd Criminal Settlement Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Cho Hyung-woo) sentenced Mayor Oh to a 10 million won fine in the first trial on charges of receiving opinion poll results from political broker Myung Tae-gyun and having a sponsor cover the costs.
If this sentence is finalized, Mayor Oh will lose his mayoral position under the Public Official Election Act.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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