Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Under Investigation for Alleged Polling Payment Scandal
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office is investigating allegations involving Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and political broker Myung Tae-kyun regarding the payment of polling costs. On May 26, it was reported that prosecutors have obtained a 'catch call' text message from Oh Se-hoon's 'golden phone,' which indicates a call made by the mayor. A catch call is a service that notifies users of missed calls when their phone is off or busy.
According to sources, the dedicated investigation team led by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Ji-hyung has successfully forensically recovered the catch call message, which was timestamped at 5:07 PM on January 20, 2021. This date is significant as it marks the first meeting between Oh and Myung at a Chinese restaurant in Seoul's Seongdong District. The golden phone was used by Myung from September 2019 to April 2023 and contains numerous records of communication between him and Oh's office.
Myung claims that he met with Oh at least seven times during the 2021 by-election period, while Oh's camp maintains that their contact ceased after two meetings. A representative from Oh's office stated, "Oh and Myung communicated directly until January 30, 2021, after which former Seoul Deputy Mayor Kang Cheol-won took over communications," emphasizing that the catch call message predates the severance of their relationship.
The core of the allegations against Oh is that he received 13 unpublished polling results from Myung during the by-election, with businessman Kim Han-jung reportedly covering the costs amounting to 33 million KRW on Oh's behalf.
In connection with this case, prosecutors summoned Oh for questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on May 25, where he was interrogated for approximately 12 hours. Oh is currently a suspect in a violation of political funding laws and has reportedly denied the allegations during the investigation. The Seoul city government stated that Oh focused on refuting the false and exaggerated claims made by Myung during the questioning, clarifying that the 13 unpublished polling results were never shared with any campaign staff. Prosecutors are currently analyzing the details of Oh's testimony to determine if further summons are necessary.
