Special Counsel Seeks 1.5-Year Prison Sentence for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in Appeal; 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 fees were paid by a proxy amid suspicions involving Myung Tae-kyun, the special counsel has demanded a one-and-a-half-year prison sentence. While Mayor Oh's legal team has repeatedly maintained his innocence based on newly emerged phone recordings, the ruling for the appellate trial is scheduled to be delivered on the 23rd.

Reporter Jang Hun-gyeong has the details.

[Reporter]

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who faces charges of commissioning opinion polls to Myung Tae-kyun and having a supporter pay the costs on his behalf, attended the final hearing for his appeal.

[Oh Se-hoon / Mayor of Seoul: The truth always comes to light. Please watch.]

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

The central issue of the appeal is a phone recording from March 2021 between Myung and businessman Kim Han-jung, Oh's long-time supporter, which was submitted belatedly.

The recording contains statements from Kim saying, "I did it because I wanted to help, and Mayor Oh did not ask for it," along with Myung's response to the effect that "Mayor Oh does not 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 had commissioned the opinion polls and paid for them without Mayor Oh's knowledge.

In his closing statement, Mayor Oh choked up, saying, "Politics, which has painfully adhered to principles, has been tainted by the malice and hostility of a mere political broker."

On the other hand, the special counsel countered, "Kim belatedly cherry-picked only what was advantageous 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 (the 30th) to the effect that "what Mayor Oh said he did not know was not the opinion poll, but the unification strategy."

Mayor Oh was sentenced to a fine of 10 million won 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 the 23rd.

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