A South Korean court fined the mayor of Seoul 10 million won, approximately 250,000 baht, and ordered the confiscation of 21 million won after ruling he was guilty of illegally receiving political funding.
On 22 July 2026, foreign news agencies reported that a South Korean court sentenced Oh Se-hoon, the mayor of Seoul, for illegally accepting political support money, imposing a fine of 10 million won, about 250,000 baht, and ordering the confiscation of 21 million won, roughly 520,000 baht.
This case stems from a special prosecutor's indictment filed against Oh in December last year, accusing him of having his political supporters pay a total of 33 million won, about 820,000 baht, before the April 2021 Seoul gubernatorial by-election, which Oh won. The money was allegedly paid to Myung Tae-gyun, who claimed to be a powerful political broker, in exchange for ten opinion polls.
The court found that the evidence was only partially credible, believing that Oh requested five opinion polls from Myung, and that his supporters paid Myung a total of 21 million won. Consequently, the court ordered the confiscation of this amount.
The court stated in its verdict that Oh, having served as a member of the National Assembly and as Seoul mayor, was well aware of political funding laws but refused to accept responsibility during the trial. It added that the offense was serious enough to warrant penalties affecting his political position. Oh has announced plans to appeal, insisting the court gave too much weight to the testimony of Myung and other witnesses.