▲ Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon
The upcoming appeals court verdict for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon regarding allegations that his opinion poll costs were covered by a third party will be broadcast live.
The Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 7 (Presiding Judge Gu Hoe-keun) announced today (October 20) that it has decided to live-stream the second-trial sentencing hearing for Mayor Oh, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. on October 23.
The proceeding will be filmed using the court's own equipment and transmitted to broadcasting companies in real time.
The court has previously permitted live broadcasts of sentencing hearings for cases closely related to the public interest or carrying high social significance. However, Mayor Oh's first-trial sentencing was not broadcast live.
Mayor Oh was previously indicted on charges of violating the Political Funds Act after allegedly receiving opinion poll results 10 times from political broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election in 2021, and having a businessman known as a longtime supporter, surnamed Kim, pay 33 million won on his behalf for those expenses.
The first trial recognized that Mayor Oh commissioned five opinion polls from Myung and had the businessman Kim pay 21 million won for them, sentencing Mayor Oh to a fine of 10 million won and ordering an additional collection of 21 million won.
According to Article 57 of the Political Funds Act, if a person is sentenced to a fine of 1 million won or more for illicit acceptance of political funds, they are barred from taking public office or being appointed to one for five years after the sentence is finalized, and must step down from their position if already holding office.
If the first-trial sentence is finalized through the appeals process, Mayor Oh would lose his mayoral position and be barred from running in the next presidential election.
The special counsel team led by Min Joong-ki, which handled the investigation and indictment of Mayor Oh's case, demanded a sentence of one year and six months in prison and an additional collection of 33 million won during the appeals sentencing hearing held on October 2.
In its closing argument, the special counsel team criticized, "Defendant Oh Se-hoon is an influential politician who is in a position to comply with the Political Funds Act more than anyone else," adding, "He had a third party pay for opinion poll expenses closely related to political activities without going through legitimate procedures."
The team further emphasized, "He undermined public trust in the legal order, and despite being the ultimate beneficiary of the crimes in this case, he has denied the charges and evaded responsibility throughout the investigation and trial process," stressing that "severe punishment is inevitable."
In his final statement, Mayor Oh said, "Asking a person who is a supporter to cover the costs is something that is completely incompatible with my political convictions."
Mayor Oh maintained his innocence, stating, "Ever since I entered politics, I have held the conviction to practice politics free from money and to be a clean politician."
During his final statement, Mayor Oh choked up and shed tears several times.
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