After Oh Se-hoon's Acquittal, Lawmakers from Both Parties Line Up for Dinner Invitations
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon was acquitted in the appeals trial on charges of violating the Political Funds Act over suspicions that he had polling expenses illegally paid on his behalf by Myung Tae-kyun, easing his legal burdens. However, the special prosecutor has said it will appeal to the Supreme Court, so a final ruling remains pending. Mayor Oh has held a series of dinners with ruling and opposition lawmakers at the Seoul mayoral residence.
The turning point in his position was the appellate ruling by the Seoul High Court on the 23rd. The court overturned the lower court's 10 million won fine and found him not guilty, reasoning that Myung Tae-kyun's testimony—the key evidence—could not be taken at face value, and that the charges could not be proven by other evidence alone. Mayor Oh won a fifth term as Seoul mayor in the June 3 local elections, but the first-instance fine of 10 million won—a penalty level that would cost him his post—had left him in political uncertainty. With this ruling, he has for now escaped the immediate risk of losing his office.
Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party, speaking on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' the previous day, described Mayor Oh as "the first candidate to secure a footing in the race for the 2030 presidential election." He added that Oh is a strategic asset for the party, with competitiveness among centrists and in the Seoul metropolitan area. Rep. Yoon proposed that conservative presidential hopefuls skip the party's next national convention, but it has not been confirmed whether this was a plan he had agreed on in advance with Mayor Oh or his own idea. Rep. Yoon and Mayor Oh, both senior figures from the metropolitan region, are known to have been longtime political allies, and Rep. Yoon showed his support for Oh by attending court from the latter stages of the appeals trial and accompanying him on the days of both the closing arguments and the verdict.
Mayor Oh is nevertheless seen as having relatively weak organizational power within the party. Shin Yul, a professor of political science and diplomacy at Myongji University, pointed to the limits of his personal network within the party, saying, "Mayor Oh is not good at close personal engagement. There really aren't many people you could call a 'pro-Oh faction,' are there?" It has not been confirmed that attendees at these dinners pledged future political cooperation or formed any separate organization centered on Mayor Oh.
Even among the politicians frequently mentioned as key figures in conservative unity, there are differences in stance. Independent Rep. Han Dong-hoon expressed willingness to work with Mayor Oh on KBS's 'Sunday Diagnosis' on the 25th, saying he is "someone we should join forces with and move forward together." In contrast, Rep. Lee Jun-seok, speaking on CBS Radio the following day, criticized Rep. Han, saying he could not agree to an alliance with him even if it included former Rep. Yoo Seung-min.
While it is true that the easing of Mayor Oh's legal risks has broadened the conservative camp's options, his organizational base within the party remains unclear, and observers say he still faces considerable hurdles before he can lead a conservative unification effort. With the special prosecutor's appeal leaving a final Supreme Court ruling pending, whether Mayor Oh's political moves will shift into full gear is something to watch alongside the progress of the trial.
