Seoul:A special counsel team has requested an 18-month prison sentence for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is entangled in a political funds case involving opinion polls conducted before the 2021 mayoral by-election.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the request was made by special counsel Min Joong-ki's team at the Seoul High Court. Previously, a lower court had imposed a fine of 10 million won (approximately US$7,400) on Oh for violating the Political Funds Act, a penalty that could potentially lead to his removal from office.
Under South Korean law, elected officials are at risk of losing their positions if they are fined 1 million won or receive a more severe punishment for accepting illegal political contributions. Oh was charged with having a supporter pay 33 million won for opinion poll results provided by Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, on ten occasions before the April 2021 by-election.
The lower court acknowledged part of the charges, determining that Oh had solicited opinion polls from Myung on five occasions, resulting in a supporter paying a total of 21 million won. The special counsel accused Oh of compelling a third party to finance these opinion polls, emphasizing his responsibility as a prominent politician to adhere to the Political Funds Act.
Oh Se-hoon is currently serving his fifth term as Seoul mayor after winning the local elections held on June 3.