Seoul:An appeals court has acquitted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in a significant political funds case related to opinion polls conducted during the 2021 mayoral by-election.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul High Court reversed a previous court's conviction of Mayor Oh for allegedly breaching the Political Funds Act. This decision has alleviated the threat of him losing his mayoral position.

Mayor Oh faced charges after being accused of having a political supporter pay 33 million won (US$24,900) for opinion polls provided by Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, ahead of the 2021 election. The Political Funds Act stipulates that elected officials can lose their positions if they are fined 1 million won or more for the improper receipt of political funds.