The trial against Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon for alleged violations of the Political Fund Law resumed on June 10, following a pause due to the June 3 local elections. Oh's defense team continues to deny all allegations.
The hearing at the Seoul Central District Court was the first since Oh was elected mayor on June 3. During the session, Kang Cheol-won, a former deputy mayor and key figure in Oh's campaign during the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, testified.
Prosecutors focused on whether Oh's campaign had commissioned Myung Tae-kyun for polling related to the mayoral election. They alleged that Oh's team had a close working relationship with Myung, including direct requests for polling and sharing internal documents regarding candidate nominations. However, Kang firmly denied these claims, stating they were completely unfounded.
Prosecutors cited Myung's statements during his investigation, claiming that Oh had mentioned the need for a poll to defeat candidate Na Kyung-won in January 2021 and had asked his supporter, Kim Han-jeong, to fund it. Kang rejected this assertion, saying, "I have never heard anything related from Mayor Oh" and emphasized that they had never conducted any internal polls during their campaign.
Kang described the polling results brought by Myung as merely a sample he voluntarily presented, stating, "It was not even at the stage to discuss costs."
As Kang continued to deny the allegations, prosecutors presented KakaoTalk messages from January 2021, where Kang had sent documents mentioning polling to Ji Sang-wook, then a member of the People Power Party's nomination committee. They questioned whether this constituted evidence of polling activity. Kang downplayed the significance, saying he sent the documents out of courtesy and that the materials were unrelated to polling, focusing instead on verifying Myung's credibility and abilities.
Kang also recounted his doubts about the reliability of the unpublished polling results provided by Myung, which he had assigned to Lee Chang-geun, a former spokesperson for the Seoul City government, for analysis. He argued that the results were distorted due to incorrect demographic ratios and claimed he had strongly criticized Myung.
Kang admitted to having heated exchanges with Myung, stating he referred to him as someone trying to deceive with dubious data. After their confrontation, he reported back to Oh and severed ties with Myung.
Oh, dressed in a dark suit and red tie, listened expressionlessly to Kang's testimony throughout the trial. He occasionally smirked when prosecutors directed questions to Kang.
Upon arriving at the court, Oh told reporters, "The investigative agency should charge Myung Tae-kyun and his associates with fraud. The allegations aimed at influencing the election have already passed." He strongly denied any wrongdoing, stating, "The worst investigative agency is one that reverses the roles of criminals and victims. In that sense, the special investigation team is truly malicious."
Oh asserted that the polling provided by Myung and his associates was proven to be inflated and fake, with confessions made in court. He urged the investigative agency to conclude its investigation and charge Myung's group with fraud promptly, expressing concern over the lack of progress.
The court has scheduled another hearing for June 12, followed by a decision hearing on June 17. Attention is focused on what charges the prosecution will bring against Oh. If he is convicted of violating the Public Official Election Act with a fine of over 1 million won, his election could be invalidated, and he could face restrictions on public office and voting rights for a certain period.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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