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

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

"Mayor Oh's side dismissed the first-instance court's ruling, which acknowledged his guilt, as a 'vague conjecture,'" the spokesperson criticized, adding, "He is going all-out to escape the guilty verdict, such as increasing his legal team to 16 attorneys."

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

"What the 9 million Seoul citizens entrusted to the mayor is not personal legal defense, but taking care of the lives of the citizens," she added.

"Before strongly insisting on his innocence, bowing his head in sincere apology for the illegal political funds suspicions he brought upon himself must come first," Spokesperson Lee said. "He must not deny facts confirmed by evidence and repeat groundless claims."