Oh Se-hoon appeals ruling that could strip him of Seoul mayor post
The mayor has appealed a court ruling over illegal political funds that, if upheld, would cost him his office.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon walks back to his seat after presenting a bouquet at a cultural exchange performance held at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno District, central Seoul, on July 22.
YONHAP
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon appealed a trial ruling that fined him 10 million won ($6,800) for violating the Political Funds Act by receiving polling results from political broker Myung Tae-kyun and having a third party cover costs on his behalf.
Oh’s legal team submitted an appeal to the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday, according to legal sources on Thursday. If the first-trial ruling is finalized, Oh will lose his position as mayor.
He was sentenced to a fine of 10 million won and ordered to forfeit 21 million won on Wednesday. The court said, “A punishment that would strip him of his qualifications for public office is unavoidable given the severity of his wrongdoing.”
Oh was indicted without detention in December of last year on charges of receiving polling results from Myung 10 times ahead of the April 7, 2021, Seoul mayoral by-election. Of the 10, three were published and seven were not. He is also charged with having former Seoul Vice Mayor for Political Affairs Kang Cheol-won arrange for a supporter, Kim Han-jung, pay about 33 million won in polling costs on his behalf.
Kang, who was indicted without detention alongside Oh, was sentenced to a fine of 3 million won. Kim was sentenced to a fine of 5 million won.
After the ruling was handed down on Wednesday, Oh said he cannot accept the decision.
“The ruling was made based on the premise that the statements of Myung, the biggest liar imaginable, were true,” Oh said. “I will contest this in the appeals trial.”
Oh’s side said the trial ruling relied on Myung's statements and circumstantial evidence. Whether the mayor directly commissioned the polls, whether he was aware that the costs were paid on his behalf and whether the expenses can be considered political funds are expected to be key issues in the appeals trial.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
