Special prosecutor indicts Seoul mayor on election finance charges
Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon delivers remarks during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Yongsan International Business District, Thursday. Yonhap
A special prosecutor on Monday indicted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, without taking him into custody, on charges of violating the Political Funds Act — a development that could significantly undermine his bid for reelection next year.
Prosecutors allege that ahead of the 2021 mayoral by-election, Oh received poll results from political broker Myung Tae-kyun and had a businessman pay for them on his behalf.
Prosecutors assert that the chief of staff for the mayor’s 2021 election campaign directly communicated with the political broker Myung Tae-kyun, coordinating the illegal polling efforts. The indictment specifies that the campaign aide, Kang Cheol-won, acted on the mayor’s instructions, exchanging survey questionnaires and consulting on polling methods. Myung went on to conduct 10 public and private opinion surveys between January and February 2021.
Prosecutors believe the businessman paid Myung 33 million won ($22,400) in five installments between February and March 2021 to cover the polling costs.
Myung has asserted that he met with Oh seven times and that the mayor asked him to help ensure his survival in the election.
Oh denied the allegations.
“The special counsel abandoned both the law and conscience today and pushed ahead with an indictment ordered by the Democratic Party of Korea,” he said Monday.
The mayor said the indictment is destined to be overturned, noting that prosecutors found no direct evidence.