Ruling Party Leaders: “Oh Se-hoon’s Acquittal Is Hard to Accept as a Matter of Common Sense”

[Financial News] The leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea issued an official statement on the 23rd saying that it was difficult to accept as a matter of common sense that Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon had been acquitted in his second trial on charges of violating the Political Funds Act.
After a meeting with firefighters to discuss support for emergency response operations, Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok told reporters that Oh’s acquittal in the second trial was “difficult to accept, both legally and as a matter of common sense,” adding, “It seems the public’s suspicions will have grown considerably.”
Kim said, “The ruling should not be political, and it is very concerning.” He added, “Since the Supreme Court’s ruling is still pending, we will watch and await a rigorous judgment.”
After the second trial of Mayor Oh concluded, Park Seong-jun, the Democratic Party of Korea’s chief spokesperson, said at a briefing in the National Assembly Communication Building, “This ruling is beyond common sense. We express our strong regret to the judiciary.”
The chief spokesperson said, “The first trial was clear. It found that Mayor Oh had commissioned political broker Myeong Tae-gyun to conduct opinion polls, received the results before they were made public, and had his supporter Kim Han-jung pay the costs on his behalf.” He continued, “But the appellate court overturned all of this. Saying Myeong’s testimony was difficult to believe, it dismissed the entire allegation of proxy payment.”
He claimed, “The court even went so far as to defend the 33 million won that supporter Kim sent to Myeong, saying he had ‘sent the money openly.’ The appellate court shielded the money, which the first-trial court had deemed illegal political funds, by calling it aboveboard.”
He then shot back, “Would the same ruling have been handed down if an ordinary citizen had done the same thing?” He added, “If the courts are endlessly lenient toward the powerful and strict with ordinary citizens, equality before the law has already collapsed.”
He also warned, “The precedent this ruling will set is even more dangerous,” saying, “It sends the signal that even if you commission opinion polls from a broker and a supporter pays the costs on your behalf, you can keep your elected office.”
He went on to say, “Today’s (the 23rd’s) ruling will be the spark for judicial reform,” adding, “The Democratic Party of Korea will carry through with judicial reform without wavering, together with the people.”
After the briefing, the chief spokesperson told reporters, “I thought Mayor Oh would be found guilty, but the court said the money was aboveboard, too.” He criticized the ruling, saying, “How is that aboveboard? Isn’t it an improper deal? The fact that the court judged an improper deal intended to help Mayor Oh get elected to be aboveboard makes it hard to trust the court.”
[email protected] Kim Hyeong-gu, Jiwon Song Reporter