Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Acquitted on Appeal in Poll Payment Case, Reversing Fine That Threatened His Office
SEOUL — The Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 7 acquitted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on October 23 of violating the Political Funds Act, overturning a first-trial guilty verdict. Oh had been accused of commissioning opinion polls from political broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the April 7, 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election and having supporter Kim Han-jeong pay the costs on his behalf. The first trial found five of the ten polls, worth 21 million won, proven, fining Oh 10 million won and ordering forfeiture of 21 million won; under Article 57 of the Political Funds Act, a fine above 1 million won would have barred Oh from public office for five years after the sentence became final.
The appeals court held that Myung's testimony, the key evidence, was inconsistent and contradicted objective circumstances in many parts, making its overall credibility weak; convicting on parts of that testimony would require grounds or corroborating evidence to distinguish and trust those parts, which the case lacked. The court noted that while poll results did reach Oh's side and Kim did pay Myung's side, it was not proven that Oh directly commissioned the polls and requested proxy payment. It also cited a recorded call in which Myung told Kim, "Oh Se-hoon doesn't know. Don't worry, I'll take care of it," contradicting the prosecution's case, and said Kim's payment by bank transfer was unusual for an illicit transaction. Where the prosecution's evidence falls short of establishing guilt with certainty, the court said, the decision must favor the defendant. Former Seoul Vice Mayor for Political Affairs Kang Chul-won and businessman Kim Han-jung were also acquitted.
Speaking outside the courtroom, Oh thanked Seoul residents for their trust and said he would work even harder, apologizing for having been seen appearing before prosecutors and the court. Myung wrote on social media that he respected the ruling but that the factual circumstances differed from the verdict. The special prosecutor's team said it would appeal to the Supreme Court; legal analysts noted the Supreme Court generally defers heavily to findings of fact, so overturning the ruling would not be easy
absent a legal flaw in how evidence was assessed. The same court on October 7 had already overturned a two-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol in another Myung polling case.
(GSM, from Yonhap via Infomax, Seoul Economic Daily and Aju Press)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：首尔夜景，资料图。照片：mauveine.kim，CC0，经Wikimedia Commons。 / Seoul skyline at night (file photo). Photo: mauveine.kim, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
