Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks to reporters at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday at a hearing for suspicions of making proxy payments for opinion polls. Photo by Yonhap
A special counsel team on Wednesday sought an 18-month prison term for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on charges of accepting illegal political funds in connection with opinion polls he received ahead of the mayoral by-election in 2021.
The team of special counsel Min Joong-ki also sought a forfeiture of 33 million won (US$21,800) at the Seoul Central District Court after indicting Oh in December on charges of violating the Political Funds Act.
Oh is suspected of having his political supporter, Kim Han-jung, make payments for opinion poll results he received on 10 occasions from self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the by-election in April 2021, which he won.
"Despite being in a position to follow the Political Funds Act more than anyone else as a prominent politician, Mayor Oh undermined the legislative purpose of ensuring transparency of political funds by making a third person pay for costs of opinion polls closely related to political activities without following legal procedures," the team said.
