Oh Se-hoon's Acquittal Sets a New Standard for Political Funds Law Trials

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon was acquitted in the appellate ruling on allegations that he made large third-party payments for opinion polls — in other words, charges of violating the Political Funds Act. The court reasoned that it could only partially credit the testimony of Myung Tae-kyun and pointed out problems in how the prosecution specified the facts of the indictment.

Kim Jung-chul, former supreme council member of the Reform Party, said on CBS Radio on the 26th that "the special prosecutor indicted the case without clearly specifying how the 10 million won was used in the opinion polls," adding that "the ruling pointed out not only a lack of proof but also flaws in the indictment process itself." He assessed that the verdict followed the principle that it is undesirable for a criminal court to selectively believe only testimony unfavorable to the defendant. However, he also raised concerns that such cases of political funds law violations could increase and political brokers could thrive.

Reactions within conservative political circles after the acquittal were mixed. Lee Jun-seok's Reform Party welcomed the ruling, while Han Dong-hoon's camp was cautious about fully embracing it. Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun issued a commentary acting as a political barometer, viewing Mayor Oh as "the dominant force in the party," while regarding the possibility of an alliance with the 'Hoon-hoon Brothers' (Oh and Han), some dismissed it as a pipe dream.