Special counsel seeks 18-month prison term for Seoul mayor in opinion poll case

A special counsel team on Friday sought an 18-month prison term for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in a political funds case over opinion polls conducted in the lead-up to the 2021 mayoral by-election.

Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team made the request at the Seoul High Court after a lower court fined Oh 10 million won ($7,400) for violating the Political Funds Act, putting him at risk of losing his post.

Under the law, elected officials are stripped of their seats if they are handed a finalized fine of 1 million won or heavier punishment for accepting illegal political funds.

Oh was indicted on charges of having a supporter pay 33 million won for opinion poll results he received on 10 occasions from self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the by-election in April 2021.

The lower court partially recognized the charges, ruling that Oh had asked Myung for opinion polls on five occasions and a supporter paid a total of 21 million won.

"Defendant Oh Se-hoon is a prominent politician who, more than anyone else, is in a position to follow the Political Funds Act," Min's team said, accusing him of forcing a third party to pay for the opinion polls.

Oh is currently serving a fifth term as Seoul mayor after his victory in the June 3 local elections.

Yonhap