Ahead of First Trial Verdict, Oh Se-hoon Camp Claims "Special Prosecutor and Democratic Party Forcing a Conviction"

Ahead of First Trial Verdict on the 22nd
Statement by Lee Jonghyun, Special Advisor for Public Communication at Seoul City Hall

On the 20th, just days before the verdict in the 'Myung Taekyun public opinion poll payment allegations' case, the camp of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon claimed that the special prosecutor's team and the Democratic Party of Korea were putting pressure on the court.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is attending the first trial continuation hearing of the 'Myung Taekyun Poll Manipulation Allegation' case held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 10th of last month. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Mayor Oh was indicted for allegedly receiving the results of public opinion polls from Myung Taekyun on ten occasions ahead of the April 7, 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, and having a supporter pay 33 million won in costs on his behalf (in violation of the Political Funds Act). He is awaiting the first trial verdict scheduled for the 22nd.

Lee Jonghyun, Special Advisor for Public Communication at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated in a press release, "Just days before the sentencing hearing, the political special prosecutor has not only suddenly distributed an opinion to the media that was submitted to the court, but also the leadership of the Democratic Party is now stepping forward to force a conviction. This is a malicious media operation and an attempt to shake the court, directly infringing on the independence of the judiciary."

Lee further asserted that the special prosecutor and the Democratic Party were colluding and had no interest in uncovering the truth, but instead were fixated on political attacks and pressuring the judiciary, stating, "As more and more evidence of innocence emerges, they are now trying to influence public opinion just before the verdict."

The camp pointed out that Han Byungdo, floor leader of the Democratic Party, stated, "We will watch the sentencing process closely," and Seo Youngkyo, a Democratic Party member and chair of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, commented, "The mayoral seat could be lost" and "Deliver the maximum sentence." The camp criticized these statements as "a ritualistic political maneuver to force a conviction on the judiciary just before the verdict, as well as an abuse of legislative power."

Additionally, the camp stressed that the credibility of Myung's testimony had collapsed during the trial process. Advisor Lee stated that while Myung had testified that he was asked by Mayor Oh to conduct the poll on January 22, 2021, digital forensics confirmed the survey was actually created and sent more than an hour earlier.

The camp also pointed out that a related official's KakaoTalk conversation recorded that the poll for the Seoul area was 'commissioned by Kim Chongin', and that there was evidence showing the person suspected of paying on Myung’s behalf was negotiating the transaction separately from Mayor Oh’s campaign.

The special prosecutor’s calculation of the indicted amount was also called into question. The camp argued that while the cost of the polls would be 65 million won if calculated using Myung's claimed unit price, the special prosecutor indicted Mayor Oh for 33 million won without any basis, criticizing, "The special prosecutor's calculation for the charged amount is full of inconsistencies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.