Court to livestream sentencing in polling-cost case
Oh says he awaits outcome 'with humble heart' as 'moment of truth' nears
Key city projects hinge on verdict; Seoul officials on edge
City hall: new evidence makes outcome hard to predict
The Seoul High Court is set to deliver its appeal ruling Friday in the case against Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon over allegations that a political broker paid polling costs on his behalf.
Criminal Division 7 of the Seoul High Court, presided over by Judge Gu Hoe-geun, is scheduled to hold the sentencing hearing at 2 p.m.
Oh was indicted by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki's team on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. Prosecutors allege that ahead of the April 7, 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, Oh received polling results on 10 separate occasions from political broker Myung Tae-gyun and had businessman Kim Han-jeong — described as a donor — cover the 33 million won ($24,900) cost.
The first-instance court found that Oh had commissioned five polls from Myung and had Kim pay 21 million won on his behalf. Oh was sentenced to a fine of 10 million won and ordered to forfeit 21 million won.
Under the Political Funds Act, anyone convicted of illegally receiving political funds and fined 1 million won or more is barred from holding or being appointed to public office for five years after the sentence is finalized. Those already in office must resign.
In the appeal proceedings, a recorded phone call between Myung and donor Kim was admitted as new evidence. In the recording, Myung is heard saying "Oh Se-hoon doesn't know," while Kim reportedly says the polling was "not something I wanted — I did it on my own" and that he "never heard anything directly from the mayor." Oh's legal team argues these statements contradict Myung's earlier claims and has maintained that Oh is not guilty.
At a press briefing marking 100 days since the start of his ninth elected term on Oct. 7, Oh said, "A great deal of new evidence that was not discovered at the first trial has been submitted for the appeal. I am waiting for the outcome with a humble heart." He added, "The truth always comes to light. The moment of truth is approaching."
However, Myung submitted a written statement to the court on Sept. 30 saying those remarks referred to the progress of opposition-bloc candidate unification talks, not to the polling. The special prosecutor's office, in its closing arguments at the appeal trial, sought the same sentence as in the first trial — one year and six months in prison and forfeiture of 33 million won. In his final statement, Oh said, "The idea that I asked someone described as a donor to cover costs on my behalf is something utterly incompatible with my political convictions."
The court decided to livestream the appeal sentencing hearing, a practice it allows for high-profile cases when it determines there is sufficient public interest.
Seoul city officials are closely watching the outcome. Should the ruling overturn the first-instance verdict, key projects championed by Oh — including the Han River ferry service and the nighttime economy initiative — would receive fresh momentum. If the disqualifying sentence from the first trial is upheld, however, those flagship projects could lose steam and staff morale may be affected.
After the first-instance guilty verdict was handed down on July 22, Oh told a senior staff meeting, "This ruling contains serious errors in its assessment of the facts and the law. It will be corrected on appeal." He urged employees to keep city government running without disruption and to give their best in their respective roles. A Seoul Metropolitan Government official said the city is "calmly watching how the trial unfolds," adding that with evidence rejected at the first trial now newly admitted, "it is difficult to predict the outcome."
cook@heraldcorp.com
