Special Counsel Min Joong-ki’s appeal has put Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s acquittal in dispute, reviving a case in which a 10 million won fine could have cost the mayor his office, The Korea Herald reported Friday.
The team said it filed the appeal at Seoul High Court Friday. The filing follows the court’s Oct. 23 decision to overturn Oh’s conviction, reversing a trial finding of partial guilt. EconoTimes covered the acquittal in its earlier report on the ruling.
Oh had been indicted on charges alleging that a political supporter paid 33 million won ($24,700) for opinion polls he allegedly received from Myung Tae-kyun on 10 occasions before the election. The Korea Herald described Myung as a self-proclaimed power broker.
The trial court imposed a 10 million won fine, which would have stripped Oh of the mayoralty if finalized. The Seoul High Court said Myung’s testimony was the case’s sole direct evidence and that there was reason to doubt its credibility. The special counsel team argued that the judges exceeded their discretion in weighing the evidence and called parts of the ruling “highly inconsistent with common sense,” The Korea Herald reported.
