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Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon leaves the courtroom after a sentencing hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, Seoul, on the afternoon of July 22, having been indicted on charges of receiving opinion poll results from political broker Myung Tae-kyun and having a financial supporter pay the expenses on his behalf. The 22nd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Jo Hyeong-woo) sentenced Mayor Oh, who was brought to trial on charges of violating the Political Funds Act, to a fine of 10 million won on the same day. / Photo pool

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has appealed a first-instance ruling that sentenced him to a fine of 10 million won on charges of receiving opinion poll results from political broker Myung Tae-kyun and having a financial supporter cover the expenses on his behalf.

According to legal sources on July 23, Mayor Oh's legal defense team submitted a notice of appeal the previous day to the 22nd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Jo Hyeong-woo).

Earlier, the court sentenced Mayor Oh, who was charged with violating the Political Funds Act, to a fine of 10 million won and an additional forfeiture of 21 million won. Former Seoul Vice Mayor for Political Affairs Kang Chul-won, who was indicted alongside Mayor Oh, was sentenced to a fine of 3 million won, while businessman Kim Han-jeong, a financial supporter, was fined 5 million won.

The court found Mayor Oh guilty regarding 21 million won of the alleged 33 million won paid on his behalf, ruling that he had requested three non-public and two public opinion polls from Mr. Myung. The court also noted that when poll results proved unfavorable, Mayor Oh either raised objections or requested a delay in their public release to minimize potential negative impacts.

Speaking to reporters immediately following the verdict, Mayor Oh stated, "The court found me guilty on five opinion polls today, which I cannot accept. An acquittal across all counts would be the proper outcome." He added, "In the absence of direct evidence, the guilty verdict was delivered on the premise that Mr. Myung's testimony and circumstantial evidence were accurate."

Mayor Oh faces charges of receiving non-public opinion poll results on ten occasions from Mr. Myung ahead of the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election in 2021, and having Mr. Kim pay over 33 million won in expenses through Mr. Kang, who served as his chief of staff at the time.

                                                                                                          Son Seung-hyun