An appellate court acquitted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Friday in a political-funds case over polls before Seoul’s 2021 mayoral by-election, undoing a conviction that would have cost him his seat if finalized.
Yonhap reported that Oh was accused of receiving opinion polls from self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun on 10 occasions, with a political supporter allegedly paying 33 million won for them. Oh, a member of the main opposition People Power Party, denied asking his supporter to pay, saying such a request would conflict with his political beliefs.
The trial court’s July decision fined Oh 10 million won and ordered 21 million won forfeited. It accepted five polling requests and payments of 21 million won as proven, below the 10 requests and 33 million won alleged in the case.
Oh challenged the conviction, and special counsel Min Joong-ki’s team appealed as well, seeking an 18-month prison sentence and forfeiture of 33 million won, Yonhap reported.
Oh was elected to a fifth term in June. Under South Korea’s Political Funds Act, a final judgment for improper acceptance of political funds can cost an elected official a seat if it carries a fine of at least 1 million won or a heavier punishment.
