[Anchor]

The first appeal trial has been held for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is accused of commissioning opinion polls from Myung Tae-gyun and having him cover the costs. If the 10 million won fine sentenced in the first trial is finalized, Mayor Oh will lose his mayoral position. For the second trial, he has reinforced his legal team and revised his strategy.

Reporter Jang Hun-gyeong has the details.

[Reporter]

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attended the first appeal trial for the Myung Tae-gyun opinion poll cost-covering case.

[Oh Se-hoon / Mayor of Seoul: "We will reveal the substantive truth and prove my innocence."]

Maintaining that he never commissioned opinion polls from Myung and asserting his innocence during today's (the 21st) trial, Mayor Oh has launched an all-out response as a finalization of the 10 million won fine from the first trial would strip him of his office.

He has additionally appointed eight lawyers from a major law firm, adding to his existing team of nine, and modified his previous defense strategy.

While the first trial focused on arguing the unfairness of the investigation by claiming a politically motivated prosecution, the second trial plans to concentrate on contesting the core charges regarding the covering of opinion poll costs.

In an appeal brief exceeding 200 pages previously submitted to the court, Mayor Oh's side argued that the first instance judgment lacked evidence and contained contradictory determinations, noting that the verdict failed to specify when and by what method Mayor Oh requested sponsor Kim Han-jung to cover the opinion poll expenses.

On the other hand, the prosecution countered that out of a total of 10 opinion polls, the five judged not guilty in the first trial should also be recognized as crimes, and argued that the sentence was too light, demanding a prison term of 1 year and 6 months, the same as the sentence sought in the first trial.

The court adopted six witnesses, including former People Power Party Emergency Response Committee Chairman Kim Chong-in, and stated that the ruling is expected to be delivered around October 23.

The same court also held the first appeal trial earlier in the day for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was sentenced to two years in prison in the first trial on charges of receiving free opinion polls from Myung in collusion with First Lady Kim Keon-hee. The court announced that oral arguments for this case will be concluded on the 11th of next month.

(Video Editing: Shin Se-eun)