Seoul:An appeals court has acquitted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of charges related to violations of the Political Funds Act in connection with opinion polls linked to the 2021 mayoral by-election.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul High Court overturned a previous ruling by a lower court, which had convicted Oh and sentenced him to a fine of 10 million won (approximately US$7,500), putting his position as mayor at risk. The appeals court found Oh not guilty, citing a lack of adequate proof for the allegations.
Oh was initially indicted for allegedly having a political supporter make payments totaling 33 million won for opinion polls received on ten occasions from Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, before the 2021 election. The Seoul Central District Court had partially upheld the charges in July, stating that Oh had requested opinion polls on five occasions and that his supporter paid 21 million won to Myung. The district court had also ordered Oh to forfeit the amount.
Both Mayor Oh and special counsel Min Joong-ki's team filed appeals against the lower court's decision. Min's team sought an 18-month prison sentence and forfeiture of 33 million won. Under the Political Funds Act, elected officials face losing their positions if fined 1 million won or more for improper acceptance of political funds.
Oh, a member of the main opposition People Power Party, is considered a significant figure within his party, having been elected to a nonconsecutive fifth term as mayor in the June 3 local elections.