Special Prosecutor Claims Oh Se-hoon Violated His Own Election Law

The Special Prosecutor's team, led by Min Jung-ki, has submitted an appeal statement to the Seoul High Court, asserting that Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon violated the so-called "Oh Se-hoon Law," which he championed to enhance transparency in election practices.

According to legal sources on August 11, the Special Prosecutor referenced Oh's role in passing the Political Reform Act, which includes the Public Election Act, Political Fund Law, and Party Act, in their recent appeal to the court.

The Special Prosecutor pointed out that Oh was fully aware of the illegality of his actions regarding the solicitation of public opinion surveys and the payment of related costs.

They stated, "The individual who led the enactment of the 'Oh Se-hoon Law' committed acts that circumvented the provisions of the Public Election Act, indicating a serious moral failing."

Oh declared he would not run in the 2004 17th National Assembly elections and subsequently served as the secretary of the National Assembly's Special Committee on Political Reform, where he played a key role in passing the Political Reform Act, which prohibits corporate political donations. This legislation is commonly referred to as the "Oh Se-hoon Law."

At that time, Oh, a first-term lawmaker, was recognized for his efforts to establish a clean election culture and transparent political systems, which helped him build a foundation for his later five-term tenure as Seoul Mayor.

He was indicted last December for allegedly receiving public opinion survey results from political broker Myung Tae-kyun on ten occasions and having his long-time supporter, businessman Kim Han-jeong, cover the survey costs of 33 million won ahead of the April 7, 2021, Seoul mayoral by-election.

The first trial court sentenced Oh to a fine of 10 million won and ordered the seizure of 21 million won on July 22.

Under the Political Fund Law, if a person is convicted of receiving political funds and is fined more than 1 million won, they are barred from holding public office for five years. If already in office, they must resign.

This provision, which restricts individuals convicted of political fund crimes from holding public office, was established under the Oh Se-hoon Law and remains in effect today.

In the first trial, former Deputy Mayor Kang was fined 3 million won, while Kim was fined 5 million won.

The court found that Oh had solicited five of the ten public opinion surveys listed in the indictment (three undisclosed and two disclosed) and that Kim had covered the costs of 21 million won. However, the court could not definitively conclude that Oh had solicited the remaining five surveys or that Kim had paid for them.

The Special Prosecutor's appeal statement reportedly rebuts the aspects of the first trial that were ruled not guilty.

The first hearing for Oh's appeal is scheduled for August 21.