Prosecutors in South Korea are seeking a 1.5-year prison sentence for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in connection with allegations of illegal funding for polling costs. On October 2, during the appeals hearing at the Seoul High Court, the special prosecution team, led by Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki, requested the same sentence and a fine of 33 million won ($28,000) that was sought in the initial trial.
Alongside Oh, former Seoul Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs Kang Cheol-won and businessman Kim Han-jung, who is a supporter of Oh, were also indicted, with prosecutors seeking a one-year sentence for each of them, consistent with the first trial.
The prosecution emphasized that "defendant Oh Se-hoon, as a prominent politician, should adhere to political funding laws more than anyone else, yet he allowed polling costs closely related to political activities to be paid by a third party without following legal procedures." They argued that he undermined public trust in the legal system and has denied the charges throughout the investigation and trial, making severe punishment unavoidable.
Oh is accused of receiving unpublished polling results from political broker Myung Tae-kyun on ten occasions before the April 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, with the costs amounting to 33 million won being paid by his long-time supporter, Kim.
In the first trial, the court found that Oh had commissioned five polls from Myung and that Kim had covered 21 million won of the costs. Oh was sentenced to a fine of 10 million won and ordered to return 21 million won. Under current political funding laws, a conviction resulting in a fine of over 1 million won restricts a person from holding public office for five years and requires immediate resignation from any current position. In the first trial, Kang received a fine of 3 million won, while Kim was fined 5 million won.
During the hearing, there was a dispute over a recording submitted late by Kim's defense team, which included a conversation with Myung. The prosecution argued that the defense had selectively submitted only favorable recordings, misleading the court, and requested the seizure of Kim's entire phone. In contrast, Oh's defense highlighted the new transcripts, asserting that Kim acted independently in dealing with Myung without any request from Oh.
Additionally, the trial raised issues regarding the status of the special prosecution team’s dispatched prosecutors following amendments to the criminal procedure law. The change shifted the affiliation of dispatched prosecutors from the prosecution office to the public prosecution office, leading to legal uncertainties about the validity of existing dispatch orders. The court urged the special prosecutor to primarily handle the arguments to prevent potential legal procedural invalidity, which the prosecution team accepted.
In his closing statement, Oh displayed visible emotion, stating, "Since entering politics, I have held onto principles based on numerous political beliefs. I aimed to be a politician free from money and to uphold clean politics. It is unimaginable for me to have requested a supporter to cover costs, as it contradicts the political beliefs I have maintained. I cannot even fathom it."
He continued, "I am very cautious about trusting people. Myung approached me through lawmaker Kim Young-sun, claiming to be a close advisor to then-party leader Kim Jong-in, but I quickly realized he was not trustworthy. In fact, I handed him over to Deputy Mayor Kang, implying that he should handle it. After that, I paid no attention to Myung. There has not been a single communication since the election."
Oh added, "However, I cannot help but feel sorry and apologetic to the public. When I sensed something was off about Myung, I failed to cut ties decisively and left room for further contact. I have shown myself in court. I deeply reflect on this. As a public figure, I was indecisive and allowed continued contact, ultimately causing concern for many citizens. This is all my fault. I am sorry."
The court has scheduled the ruling for the appeals case for October 23 at 2 p.m.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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