The Democratic Party of Korea's special committee on countering false and manipulated information said Monday it had filed a complaint against Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon under the Public Official Election Act on charges of making false public statements, in connection with allegations that political operative Myung Tae-kyun paid for polling on Oh's behalf.
The committee held a press conference at the National Assembly that day, saying "the lies Oh told throughout the campaign were a means to cover up a shameful crime."
The committee also said "the truth recognized by the court is the exact opposite of Oh's explanations," criticizing what it called "a thoroughly premeditated fraud perpetrated against 10 million Seoul citizens — from the national audit chamber to live prime-time televised debates — all for the single purpose of winning the election."
The committee said the margin between People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon and Democratic Party candidate Jeong Won-o in the Seoul mayoral election had been just 60,259 votes. It added that no one could deny that a leading candidate's false public statements had a significant impact on the outcome of such a razor-thin race.
The committee also said that if Oh is stripped of his post, "every last won of the 2021 election expense reimbursements and the reimbursements from this election — money unfairly pocketed by thoroughly deceiving citizens — must be returned to the public, even if it requires compulsory collection."
Earlier, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 22, presided over by Chief Judge Jo Hyeong-u, sentenced Oh on Wednesday on charges of violating the Political Funds Act, imposing a fine of 10 million won ($6,820) and ordering the forfeiture of 21 million won. If a fine of 1 million won or more is finalized against Oh, a by-election for Seoul mayor would be held.
bigroot@heraldcorp.com
