Why did the special counsel appeal Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s acquittal?

The team argued that the appellate court acted unlawfully by rejecting Myung Tae-kyun’s testimony, saying that doing so exceeded the bounds of the principle of free evaluation of evidence. It also said elements of the ruling were highly inconsistent with common sense.

What evidence did the appellate court cite when acquitting Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in the political funds case?

The appellate court said Myung Tae-kyun’s testimony was the only direct evidence for the allegations and could not be fully trusted. The lower court had found Oh partially guilty and imposed a 10 million-won fine.

What were the allegations against Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in the 2021 political funds case?

Oh was accused of having a political supporter pay a total of 33 million won for opinion polls he allegedly received from self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun on 10 occasions ahead of the 2021 mayoral by-election.

Special counsel appeals Seoul mayor's acquittal in political funds case

Listen

Summary

Special counsel Min Joong-ki’s team appealed Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s acquittal in the political funds case to the Seoul High Court on Friday. The case concerns allegations that a supporter paid 33 million won for opinion polls Oh received from Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the 2021 mayoral by-election. The appellate court overturned a lower court’s partial conviction, finding that Myung’s testimony, the only direct evidence on the allegations, could not be fully trusted.

Key Facts

Oh was indicted over allegations that he received opinion polls on 10 occasions and that a political supporter paid for them.
The lower court sentenced Oh to a 10 million-won fine, which would have cost him the mayoralty if finalized.
The special counsel team argued that rejecting Myung’s testimony exceeded the bounds of the principle of free evaluation of evidence.
The team also said elements of the appellate ruling were highly inconsistent with common sense.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 30, 2026 11:49 am KST

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, center, leaves the Seoul High Court in southern Seoul, Oct. 23, after the court acquitted him of charges of violating the Political Funds Act. Yonhap

A special counsel team said Friday it has appealed the acquittal of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in a political funds case linked to the 2021 mayoral by-election.

Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team said it filed the appeal with the Seoul High Court earlier in the day, a week after the appellate court overturned a lower court ruling to acquit the mayor of violating the Political Funds Act.

Oh had been indicted on charges of having a political supporter make payments totaling 33 million won ($24,700) for opinion polls he allegedly received on 10 occasions from self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the 2021 election.

The lower court found him partially guilty of the charges and sentenced him to a 10 million-won fine, which, if finalized, would have stripped him of his mayoralty.

But the appellate court reversed the conviction, ruling that the only direct evidence for the allegations was Myung's testimony, which it said could not be fully trusted.

"Denying the credibility of Myung's testimony was unlawful, as it exceeded the bounds of the principle of free evaluation of evidence," the special counsel team said. "There are elements (of the ruling) that are highly inconsistent with common sense."

Explore More