Prosecutors Raid Mayor Oh Sehoon's Office and Residence
Seoul City: "Actively Cooperating with the Investigation"
On the 20th, the prosecution investigating allegations of paid polling expenses involving 'political broker' Myeong Tae-gyun launched a forced investigation into Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. The mayor's office stated that they actively cooperated with the seizure and investigation of mobile phones, PCs, and other devices.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office's special investigation team for Myeong Tae-gyun allegations (led by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Ji-hyung) conducted a search and seizure starting at 10:30 a.m. regarding a complaint filed by a civic group on November 25 last year against Mayor Oh. The locations searched included Mayor Oh's office, his official residence in Hannam-dong, and the home of a witness, former Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs Kang Cheol-won.
The investigation team is examining whether the 33 million KRW transferred in five installments by businessman Kim Han-jung to Myeong in February and March 2021, ahead of the April 7, 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, is related to Mayor Oh.
Regarding Mayor Oh's status as a 'suspect,' Seoul City spokesperson Shin Seon-jong said, "This is because a civic group filed a complaint against Mayor Oh," and added, "We received legal advice that for a search warrant to be issued, the case must specify the individual as a 'suspect.'"
The prosecution reportedly examined materials related to polling, computers, mobile phones, and schedule records through this search. Spokesperson Shin stated, "Mayor Oh actively cooperated by submitting both past and current mobile phones, as well as allowing forensic analysis of his office PC and tablet to facilitate a swift investigation."
Mayor Oh has consistently denied the related allegations. He claims that during the 2021 by-election, his campaign never received any unpublished polls from Myeong. Since there was no benefit gained from Myeong's fraudulent and manipulated unpublished polls, the 'Oh Se-hoon polling expense payment suspicion' does not exist.
Regarding reports that the investigation team secured records on January 25, 2021, showing Myeong exchanging Seoul mayoral by-election polling questionnaires with former Deputy Mayor Kang, the same logic was used to refute the claims. Spokesperson Shin explained that "as repeatedly stated, after January 20, 2021, former Deputy Mayor Kang analyzed Myeong's initial sample polling data, deemed it unreliable, and rejected it." Mayor Oh's side argues that for this reason, Kang and Myeong met directly in February of the same year, quarreled, and severed ties.
Mayor Oh also distances himself from the 'poll manipulation' allegations. He said, "Myeong Tae-gyun and his group have failed to respond for months to our demand to disclose when and to whom the results of 13 unpublished polls were delivered," adding, "Even assuming they were delivered, how would unpublished polls?which are punishable if disclosed?help in party primaries and unification contests decided by general public polls? Who in the world would foolishly spend money on data that does not help elections at all?"
Myeong's claim that he was promised the position of president of SH Corporation (Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation) by former lawmaker Kim Young-sun is also denied as "fiction." Seoul City’s Public Communication Special Advisor Lee Jong-hyun recently stated in a press release, "Mayor Oh's philosophy is never to promise positions," and demanded, "First, reveal to whom the 13 unpublished polls, which no one on Oh Se-hoon's side received, were given."
Some speculate that the prosecution, accelerating its investigation, may soon summon Mayor Oh for questioning. On the 11th, Mayor Oh said, "Only the prosecution's investigation can reveal how absurd the claims made by Myeong and his group are," and added, "If summoned, I am willing to cooperate with the investigation at any time."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
