Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Sentenced to 10 Million Won Fine in 1st Trial Over Unpaid Opinion Poll Case; Risks Losing Post if Upheld

 
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who was indicted on charges of receiving opinion poll results from political broker Myung Tae-kyun and having a supporter cover the costs, has been sentenced in the first trial to a penalty that would strip him of his mayoral position if finalized.

The 22nd Criminal Settlement Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Cho Hyung-woo) sentenced Mayor Oh, who was sent to trial on charges of violating the Political Funds Act, to a fine of 10 million won and an additional collection of 21 million won today (July 22).

Kang Chul-won, former Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs of Seoul, and businessman Kim Han-jung, who were indicted alongside him, were sentenced to fines of 3 million won and 5 million won, respectively.

Mayor Oh will lose his mayoral post if this sentence is finalized.

Under the Public Official Election Act, if an elected public official receives a confirmed prison sentence or a fine of 1 million won or more for violating the Political Funds Act, their election is invalidated.

The court recognized as guilty charges that Mayor Oh received opinion poll results multiple times from Myung ahead of the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election in 2021 and had Kim Han-jung, known as a long-time supporter, pay the costs on his behalf.

Specifically, the court determined that Mayor Oh commissioned five opinion polls from Myung and that Kim paid a total of 21 million won to Myung on his behalf.

The independent counsel team led by Min Joong-ki had indicted Mayor Oh on the grounds that the polls commissioned by Mayor Oh totaled 10 cases and the costs paid on his behalf by Kim amounted to 33 million won.

Except for the five cases recognized as guilty, the court stated it could not conclude that Mayor Oh commissioned polls from Myung or that Kim paid the costs for them.

Explaining the reasoning behind the sentencing, the court rebuked, "Mayor Oh's commissioning of opinion polls and payment of costs were intertwined with the objective of realizing 'opinion polls under the candidate's name,' which is prohibited by the Public Official Election Act, making the nature of the crime grave."

It further pointed out, "Despite having served as a member of the National Assembly and as the Mayor of Seoul and being well aware of the Political Funds Act, he consistently maintained an attitude of refusing to admit responsibility during the trial," adding, "A sentence resulting in the forfeiture of qualifications for public office is inevitable."

Immediately after the sentencing, Mayor Oh told reporters, "I cannot accept this ruling. It was sentenced based solely on the statements of Myung Tae-kyun, a notorious liar, and circumstantial evidence," and stated, "I will contest this in the appellate court."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.