Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Acquitted on Appeal as Court Rejects Broker's Testimony in Poll-Funding Case

South Korea's highest-profile local official has cleared a major legal hurdle. The Seoul High Court on Friday acquitted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of violating the Political Funds Act, overturning a July ruling that had found him guilty and put his office at risk.

A panel led by Judge Ku Hoi-geun threw out the lower court's sentence, which had imposed a fine of 10 million won, about $7,500, and ordered 21 million won forfeited. Under South Korean law, an elected official who receives a finalised fine of 1 million won or more for improperly accepting political funds loses their seat, so the July verdict, had it stood, would eventually have ended Oh's tenure.

What the case was about

The charges centred on opinion polls run before the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, which Oh won. Prosecutors alleged that he commissioned the surveys from political broker Myung Tae-kyun and that a supporter, Kim Han-jung, paid for them. The indictment covered 10 polls and payments totalling 33 million won.

The trial court found that Oh had commissioned five of those polls and that Kim's payment of 21 million won for them amounted to illegal political funding. The central question on appeal was whether Oh had actually asked for the polls and knew who was paying.

Why the court changed course

The appeals panel concluded the evidence did not hold up. Judge Ku said Myung's testimony was virtually the only evidence in the case and was difficult to believe as a whole. The court found it hard to separate what the broker had witnessed himself from what was speculation or exaggeration.

Kang Chul-won, a former vice mayor for political affairs and a close aide to Oh, and Kim were also acquitted. The special counsel team led by Min Joong-ki had asked the court for an 18-month prison term and forfeiture of the full 33 million won, the same demand it made at the first trial.

Political fallout

The verdict drew immediate criticism from the ruling camp. Democratic Party floor leader Han Byung-do said he regretted the decision, and Cho Kuk, a prominent figure in the Rebuilding Korea Party, argued the outcome showed the cost of failing to push through judicial reform. Oh's camp had long argued that Myung's account was unreliable.

Myung Tae-kyun has been a central figure in a series of political scandals in South Korea involving poll manipulation allegations, and how courts treat his testimony is being closely watched beyond Oh's case.

What comes next

The acquittal is not yet final. Prosecutors can take the case to the Supreme Court, and it was not immediately clear whether they would. Until then, Oh remains in office without the threat of losing his seat, and the ruling strengthens his standing as one of the conservative camp's most prominent figures.

For South Korean politics, the case is a reminder that the long tail of investigations tied to past election campaigns is still reshaping who can stay in public office.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.