Myeong Tae-gyun polling case, conflicting rulings for Oh Se-hoon, Yoon Seok-yeol, and Kim Keon-hee
Summary of the key issues in the allegation that Oh Se-hoon’s polling costs were paid on his behalf, with the court’s judgment divided See Yoon Seok-yeol and Kim Keon-hee’s rulings at a glance
Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon was sentenced in the first trial to a fine of 10 million won over allegations that he covered the cost of a public opinion poll related to political broker Myeong Taegyun. Although it was a case related to the same public opinion poll, former President Yoon Sukyeol was given a prison sentence and First Lady Kim Keonhee was found not guilty, so the court's judgment differed greatly depending on the case.
The court viewed each case differently in terms of the motive for commissioning the poll, whether there was an agreement between the parties, and the credibility of Myeong's testimony. In Mayor Oh's case, the situation ahead of the party primary and evidence of actual money transfers formed the basis for the guilty verdict.
In the case of the former presidential couple, the issue was whether they received the presidential election poll services free of charge, and the court sentenced former President Yoon to two years in prison. By contrast, in Ms. Kim's case, she was acquitted because there was insufficient evidence to recognize a contract or specific instructions. The Supreme Court is expected to organize the standards for establishing implied requests and the receipt of political funds going forward.