DPK Urges Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to Apologize Instead of Seeking 'Innocent' Frame After Guilty Verdict in First Trial

The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) demanded on August 22 that Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who received a sentence in the first trial that would strip him of his mayoral position for allegedly having a supporter pay for Myung Tae-kyun opinion polls, "stop hiding behind excuses and apologize to the citizens of Seoul."

Floor Spokesperson Lee Joo-hee said in a written briefing, "Mayor Oh argued for his innocence once again yesterday during the appellate trial on charges of violating the Political Funds Act."

Spokesperson Lee criticized, "Mayor Oh's side dismissed the first-trial ruling, which acknowledged his guilt, as a 'vague guess.' It appears they are going all out to somehow escape the guilty verdict, such as expanding their legal team to 16 attorneys."

"The problem is that city administration in Seoul is coming to a halt during that time," Lee pointed out, adding, "While livelihood issues such as housing instability are piling up, the mayor is absorbed in building an innocence frame in the courtroom."

Lee also stated, "What the 9.3 million citizens of Seoul entrusted to the mayor is not personal legal defense, but taking care of the lives of the citizens."

"Before strongly arguing his innocence, the first thing Mayor Oh should do is bow his head and offer a sincere apology over the illegal political fund allegations that he brought upon himself," Spokesperson Lee said. "He must not deny facts confirmed by evidence and repeat groundless claims."

※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.