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🇰🇷 South Korea /Crime & Justice

Seoul mayor fined 10 million won in polling scandal, putting seat at risk

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon was fined 10 million won by a district court for violating political funding laws.
  • The ruling means Oh will be removed from office if the Supreme Court upholds the sentence, as elected officials in Korea face disqualification with fines of 10 million won or more for such violations.
  • Oh was accused of receiving polling data from a political broker and having his chief of staff arrange payment through a backer, with 21 million won confirmed as payment for the polling.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon faces removal from office after a district court fined him 10 million won for violating political funding laws. The ruling, announced Wednesday, stems from allegations that Oh received polling data from a self-proclaimed political broker, Myung Tae-kyun, ahead of the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election.

Prosecutors had sought an 18-month prison sentence and a 33 million won fine. The court found that Oh's chief of staff paid a political backer over 33 million won to relay to Myung, with 21 million won specifically identified as payment for the polling data.

Under Korean law, elected officials are stripped of their positions if they receive a finalized penalty of 10 million won or more for violating the Political Funds Act. Oh's political future now hinges on the Supreme Court's decision.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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