Seoul: A special counsel team on Wednesday sought an 18-month prison term for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on charges of accepting illegal political funds in connection with opinion polls he received ahead of the mayoral by-election in 2021. The team also requested a forfeiture of 33 million won (US$21,800) at the Seoul Central District Court following Oh's indictment in December for violating the Political Funds Act.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Oh is accused of having his political supporter, Kim Han-jung, make payments for opinion poll results he received on 10 occasions from self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun before the by-election in April 2021, which he subsequently won. The special counsel team, led by Min Joong-ki, highlighted Oh's failure to adhere to the Political Funds Act, emphasizing his responsibility as a prominent politician to maintain transparency in political funding. The payments made for the opinion polls were deemed closely related to political activities but did not follow legal procedures.
The special counsel also sought a one-year prison term for Kim, Oh's supporter, and former Seoul Deputy Mayor Kang Cheol-won, both of whom faced indictments in connection to the case. In his final statement during the court hearing, Mayor Oh claimed that his indictment was politically motivated, describing the prosecutors as "subordinate to politics" and labeling the charges against him as "very immoral."
The sentencing hearing for the trial is scheduled to take place on July 22.