Kim Min-seok: “Indirect political funding through third parties will run rampant”... criticizes outcome of Oh Se-hoon’s second trial

[Financial News] Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok said on the 26th, “The court overturned the first-trial ruling in the case involving allegations that the costs of opinion polls for Mayor Oh Se-hoon were paid on his behalf.” He warned, “If this ruling stands, indirect political funding through third parties will run rampant.”
At a Supreme Council meeting he held at the National Assembly that day, Kim said, “The appeals court ruled that although polls related to Mayor Oh had been conducted and it was established that a supporter close to him had paid the costs, Oh’s involvement had not been proven.” He added, “There was someone who paid the money and someone who received it, yet no responsibility could be demanded of the person who benefited the most.”
He argued, “The risk of political brokers distorting and manipulating the will of the people, and of election interference through opinion polls, has also increased.” He added, “What is even more concerning is the politicization of the courts.”
He continued, “Former President Yoon Suk Yeol and Mayor Oh were both acquitted by the same panel in the appeals trial over Myeong Tae-gyun’s free provision of opinion polls, after their first-trial convictions were overturned.” He said, “The public criticism that the courts are making political rather than legal judgments should be taken seriously.”
He also said, “The sentences of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae, who played key roles in the insurrection, were also significantly reduced on appeal recently.” He asked, “What citizen could accept a reality in which the verdicts and sentences in major cases are drastically changed according to a political yardstick?”
Kim added, “The Democratic Party will thoroughly investigate the allegations involving Mayor Oh and Mr. Myeong, as well as various allegations of illegal conduct in the Seoul city administration, and will ensure that those responsible are held appropriately accountable to the end.”  

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