Special Counsel Seeks 1.5-Year Prison Sentence for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in Appeal Trial; Ruling Set for Oct. 23

[Anchor]

In the appeal trial of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who was indicted over allegations that his opinion poll costs were paid by a supporter through Myung Tae-kyun, the special counsel has demanded a one-and-a-half-year prison sentence. While Mayor Oh's legal team repeatedly maintained his innocence based on newly emerged phone recordings, the verdict for the appeal trial is scheduled to be delivered on October 23.

Reporter Jang Hun-gyeong has the story.

[Reporter]

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who stands accused of commissioning opinion polls from Myung Tae-kyun and having a supporter cover the costs instead, attended the sentencing hearing for his appeal.

[Oh Se-hoon / Seoul Mayor: The truth will always come to light. Please watch and see.]

The special counsel team stated, "As an influential politician, he should have upheld the Political Funds Act more than anyone else, yet he undermined trust in the law," demanding a one-year-and-six-month prison term and the forfeiture of 33 million won, the same as in the first trial.

The central point of contention in the appeal trial is a phone recording from March 2021 between Myung and businessman Kim Han-jung, a long-time supporter of Mayor Oh, which was submitted belatedly.

The recording contains Kim stating, "I did it because I wanted to help, and Mayor Oh didn't ask for it," along with Myung's response to the effect that "Mayor Oh doesn't know much about it either."

Based on this, Mayor Oh's side argued his innocence, claiming that the reality of the case was that Kim commissioned the opinion polls and paid for them without Mayor Oh's knowledge.

In his final statement, Mayor Oh choked back tears, saying, "Politics, which has painfully maintained its principles, has been tainted by the hatred and hostility of a mere political broker."

On the other hand, the special counsel countered, "Kim belatedly cherry-picked only what was favorable to Mayor Oh," calling it "selective evidence intended to deceive the court."

Myung also submitted a written statement to the court the day before yesterday (September 30), to the effect that "what Mayor Oh said he did not know about was not the opinion poll, but the unification strategy."

Mayor Oh was sentenced to a 10 million won fine in the first trial, and if a fine of 1 million won or more is finalized, he will lose his position as mayor.

The appellate sentencing hearing for Mayor Oh will be held on October 23.

(Camera Reporter: Kang Si-woo, Video Editor: Wee Won-yang)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.