[Edaily Sung Gha-hyun Reporter Kang Min-hyuk, Trainee Reporter] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is accused of commissioning a public opinion poll from political broker Myung Tae-kyun and having a political donor cover the costs, asserted his innocence at the sentencing hearing for his appeal trial. He stated, “As a public figure who should have conducted myself more impeccably, I left room for criticism and caused concern among many citizens,” but added, “I believe the truth will prevail.” He made these remarks in his closing statement immediately after Special Prosecutor Kim Geon-hee’s team sought the same sentence as the first trial—one year and six months in prison—for Mayor Oh.

The 7th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Koo Hoe-geun) held the final hearing for Mayor Oh’s appeal on the 2nd regarding charges of violating the Political Funds Act.

Mayor Oh was indicted last December on charges that, ahead of the April 7, 2021, Seoul mayoral by-election, he received opinion poll results from Mr. Myung on 10 separate occasions and had Mr. Kim Han-jeong—a long-time supporter—pay the 33 million won in associated costs on his behalf.

The trial court found Mayor Oh guilty of five instances of receiving opinion polls and having 21 million won paid on his behalf, sentencing him to a fine of 10 million won—a penalty resulting in the loss of his mayoral office—and a forfeiture of 21 million won. Under the Political Funds Act, if a conviction for the illegal receipt of political funds results in a fine of 1 million won or more, the individual is barred from taking office or being appointed to public office for five years. If the individual is already in office or has been appointed, they must resign from that position.

In his closing statement that day, Mayor Oh said, “Ever since I entered politics, I have held the conviction that I would become a clean politician, free from the influence of money,” adding, “The idea that I, of all people, would ask someone claiming to be a supporter to cover expenses is utterly incompatible with the political convictions I have upheld until now.”

He further emphasized, “I categorically did not discuss the opinion poll cited by the special counsel in advance, nor did I ever use the results for our election campaign,” adding, “The idea that I asked someone else to pay expenses that our campaign should have borne is not only unnecessary but also impossible.”

“I cannot help but feel deeply sorry and ashamed before the people,” he said, his voice choking with emotion. “I deeply regret that I did not immediately and decisively cut ties with Myung Tae-gyun when I first had a strange feeling about him, thereby giving him room to continue approaching me and leading to my standing before the court today.”

He continued, “As a public figure who should have conducted myself more impeccably, I left room for such behavior and caused concern among many citizens,” and, wiping his eyes, said, “I cannot blame anyone else; it is all my fault. I am sorry.”

Mayor Oh said, “What I fear is that, in this bleak era of distrust in politics, the noble politics entrusted to me by the people will be tainted by the hatred and hostility of a mere political broker, causing me to disappoint the public; and that the prosperity of Seoul, the quality of life for its citizens, and the mission entrusted to me will come to a halt due to hatred and fabricated circumstances.”

He concluded by saying, “I believe that the truth will surely prevail,” adding, “I trust that this very courtroom will prove that hatred cannot overcome the truth, that fabricated circumstances cannot obscure the facts, and that judicial justice is alive and well.”

The special prosecution team requested that the court sentence Mayor Oh to one year and six months in prison and a forfeiture of 33 million won.

The special prosecution team stated, “As a prominent political figure, the defendant is in a position where he must comply with the Political Funds Act more than anyone else,” adding, “He arranged for a third party to be paid for opinion poll expenses closely related to political activities without following proper legal procedures.”

They further emphasized, “He has undermined the public’s trust in the rule of law, and despite being the ultimate beneficiary of the crimes committed in this case, he has denied the charges and evaded responsibility throughout the investigation and trial process,” adding, “A severe punishment is unavoidable.”

Regarding the recorded phone conversation that Mayor Oh’s side presented as grounds for acquittal at the last minute of the trial, the prosecution stated, “This can only be explained as them hiding evidence they deemed unfavorable and selectively submitting only what was somewhat favorable,” adding, “It is selectively presented evidence intended to deceive the court with falsehoods and should not be admitted.”

Mayor Oh’s legal team had previously submitted a recording of a phone call between Mr. Myung and Mr. Kim that took place on March 6, 2021, during an earlier court session. The recording contains Mr. Myung saying, “Oh Se-hoon doesn’t know about this. He doesn’t know, so don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

Mayor Oh’s side argues that this recording actually demonstrates that Mr. Kim paid the expenses on his own initiative, without a request from Mayor Oh. In contrast, Mr. Myung clarified in a written statement that the “I don’t know” he referred to was not about the opinion poll, but rather the specific progress of Mayor Oh’s strategy for a unified candidacy at the time.

The court plans to hold the second-instance sentencing hearing on the 23rd at 2:00 p.m.