DPK Urges Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to Apologize Instead of Seeking 'Innocence Frame' After First-Instance Guilty Verdict

The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) demanded today (August 22) that Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon—who was sentenced to a term of imprisonment that would strip him of his office in the first instance for charges of having a supporter cover the costs of "Myung Tae-kyun opinion polls"—"stop hiding behind excuses and apologize to the citizens of Seoul."

Floor Spokesperson Lee Joo-hee made the remarks in a written briefing, stating, "Mayor Oh once again claimed his innocence yesterday during the second-instance appeal hearing for charges of violating the Political Funds Act."

Spokesperson Lee criticized the mayor, saying, "Mayor Oh's side has dismissed the first-instance court's ruling—which acknowledged his guilt—as 'vague speculation,' and appears to be making every effort to escape a guilty verdict, including expanding his legal team to 16 attorneys."

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

Lee further 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 vehemently insisting on his innocence, the first thing Mayor Oh must do is bow his head and offer a sincere apology regarding the illegal political funding suspicions he brought upon himself," Spokesperson Lee said. "He must not continue to repeat baseless claims while denying facts confirmed by evidence."

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