Oh Se-hoon’s acquittal eases the Democratic Party’s by-election burden; People Power Party watches closely for shifts in the contest for control

[Financial News] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon was acquitted on the 23rd in the appeals trial in a case involving allegations that someone else paid the costs of opinion polls linked to Myeong Tae-gyun, complicating political calculations for both the ruling and opposition parties. The Democratic Party of Korea is seen as having been spared the burden of having to contest a by-election amid worsening public sentiment on real estate in Seoul. Within the People Power Party, Mayor Oh’s significant reduction in legal risks is expected to add a new variable to the contest for leadership of the conservative camp with party leader Jang Dong-hyuk and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon.
The Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 7, presided over by Koo Hoe-geun, acquitted Mayor Oh that day on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. The court’s rationale was that Myeong Tae-gyun’s statements were not credible and that it was difficult to conclude that Oh had arranged for someone else to pay the opinion-poll costs. In the first trial, Oh was fined 10 million won and ordered to forfeit 21 million won. With the acquittal on appeal, the possibility of a by-election due to Oh losing his mayoral post has diminished. However, the Supreme Court may still weigh in.
Within the Democratic Party of Korea, there are assessments that the party has been spared the burden of a Seoul mayoral by-election. That is because an election held amid worsening public sentiment in the Capital Metropolitan Area over issues such as real estate could also burden the party leadership.
Ahead of the party convention last August, party leader Kim Min-seok had said preparations for a Seoul mayoral by-election would begin under his responsibility and that he would seek a vote of confidence in his leadership after the election. A Democratic Party lawmaker from the Capital Metropolitan Area said, “There is also the real estate issue, and the fact is that it is difficult to say the current situation in the Capital Metropolitan Area gives the Democratic Party the upper hand.”
The People Power Party has welcomed Mayor Oh’s acquittal while watching its potential impact on the party’s political landscape. Oh has long been at odds with party leader Jang over the direction of the party. Last August, he also criticized the Jang Dong-hyuk leadership’s push to discipline lawmakers outside the party leadership faction, saying, “Ethics committee-driven politics is the lowest form of politics.”
Political observers say that, as Mayor Oh sheds some of his legal burden, he could affect the conservative camp’s contest for control, which had been unfolding around party leader Jang and lawmaker Han. Analysts say that, in particular, alliances among factions within the party could shift depending on the political position Mayor Oh takes ahead of next year’s People Power Party convention.

[email protected] Kim Kyung-min Reporter