Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon urged conservatives to unite after an appeals court overturned his political-funds conviction, easing the immediate threat to his office while the special counsel team said it would seek another review.
In its Oct. 23 ruling, the Seoul High Court set aside Oh’s conviction and the 10 million won sanction imposed at trial. Article 57 of South Korea’s Political Funds Act requires covered officeholders to leave office once a qualifying fine of 1 million won or more is final. The trial penalty could therefore have cost Oh the mayoralty had it survived appeal. The ruling overturns the conviction covered in EconoTimes’ earlier coverage of the case.
The special counsel alleged that Oh had a supporter pay 33 million won for opinion polls he allegedly received on 10 occasions ahead of Seoul’s 2021 mayoral by-election. The trial court’s findings involved five surveys it said Oh requested and 21 million won in costs paid for him. On appeal, judges said the evidence fell short of establishing the alleged wrongdoing and expressed skepticism about political intermediary Myung Tae-kyun’s testimony.
Oh made his unity appeal on Oct. 24, urging members of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to reduce internal divisions. He said the party could reassure the public through “unity rather than division” and said he would work to bring people with different political views together.
On Sunday, independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon backed cooperation with Oh, calling him “highly reasonable” during an appearance on KBS’ Sunday Diagnosis Live. Han said the two had “never let go of each other’s hand” and urged conservatives to work with Oh for an election victory.
Yonhap reported that Oh won a fifth, nonconsecutive term in June 2026. The Korea Herald reported that, when asked about a possible presidential run, he discussed his plans for Seoul without announcing a bid.
The special counsel team said it would appeal the acquittal to the Supreme Court.
