'Oh Se-hoon Appeal Trial': Kim Chong-in Takes the Stand, Calling Myeong Tae-gyun a “Liar” and Saying, “I Never Commissioned an Opinion Poll”

[Financial News] Kim Chong-in, a former emergency committee chair of the People Power Party, appeared as a witness in Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's appeal trial over the allegation that someone else paid the costs of an opinion poll. He questioned the credibility of key witness Myeong Tae-gyun's testimony. Kim denied Myeong's claims about “regular meetings” and serving as a “desk aide,” saying that their few contacts had no particular significance. However, he also rejected the “Kim Chong-in commissioned it” theory raised by Oh's side, distancing himself from Myeong.
The Seoul High Court Criminal Division 7, presided over by Judge Lee Jae-shin, held the fourth hearing of the appeal trial on the 11th for Oh, his sponsor Kim Han-jung, and former Seoul Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs Kang Cheol-won, who were indicted on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. The court examined Kim Chong-in and Kim Gyun-taek, a former head of scheduling and planning for Oh's campaign.
Kim Chong-in assessed Myeong Tae-gyun, saying, “Myeong Tae-gyun is someone who makes things up to show off,” and added, “I believe he deliberately used me to gain access to presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol.”
He also denied Myeong's testimony, which is regarded as key evidence. “I first met him only when former lawmaker Kim Young-sun brought him to me in November 2020, and there was no reason to meet him regularly,” he said. He criticized Myeong as “someone who conducted opinion polls in the provinces and fabricated lies to show off in central politics.” Regarding how he introduced Myeong to Ji Sang-wook, the former head of the Yeouido Institute, Kim said, “I only told him to meet Myeong once because Myeong said he knew the local situation ahead of the Busan election.”
Myeong has claimed to prosecutors and in court that “I met Kim Chong-in regularly every Monday and Thursday, and I planned the Seoul mayoral race while serving as Kim Chong-in's desk aide.”
When the court asked about the credibility of these claims, Kim Chong-in dismissed them, saying, “I never trusted him.” Regarding the messages he exchanged with Myeong, he said, “I don't know whether I sent him a text message once or twice, but it meant nothing.” He added, “Myeong's claim that he met me every Monday and Thursday is also untrue. There was absolutely no reason to meet him.”
Kim Chong-in also categorically denied the “Kim Chong-in commissioned it” theory raised by Oh's side. “I never commissioned an opinion poll from Myeong Tae-gyun,” he said, dismissing the theory. He emphasized, “I never entrusted Myeong Tae-gyun with a poll, and I did not even know how much it cost.” This contradicted Oh's side, which had identified Kim Chong-in, rather than Oh, as the person who commissioned the opinion poll.
Kim also said that, as emergency committee chair, he had little interest in the Seoul mayoral primary at the time. “The committee had already been formed in January, and the party was supposed to select an opinion-polling agency and finalize the candidate,” he said. “I had no interest whatsoever in who became the candidate. My only thought was that, once a candidate was elected, I would lead the campaign for that candidate.”
During the examination of Kim Gyun-taek, the former campaign team leader who took the stand afterward, the parties clashed over an internal campaign text message. The first-instance court recognized a KakaoTalk message that Kim sent to an acquaintance in February 2021 as key circumstantial evidence supporting organized intervention by Oh's campaign. The message read: “The Money Today poll was actually commissioned by us, but the agency made a mess of it. Director Kang [Kang Cheol-won] was furious and made a big fuss. The person who introduced them was Kim Chong-in.”
Kim Gyun-taek reversed his earlier statement, saying, “As someone handling scheduling, I knew nothing about opinion-polling work. It was merely idle chatter I sent to show off as if I knew something, pieced together from rumors and unverified rumor sheets circulating inside and outside the campaign.” The court responded, “You personally wrote, ‘We commissioned it,’ and now saying that you do not remember is inconsistent.”
With both the third-party commissioning theory raised by Oh's side and Myeong's testimony cited by prosecutors being challenged, the legal and strategic calculations in the trial have become even more complicated. The court indicated that it expects to issue its ruling around October 23.
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