Seoul: The trial for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, accused of arranging for a longtime supporter to fund opinion polls before his 2021 election victory, is set to begin later this month, according to legal sources. The Seoul Central District Court has slated the initial preparatory hearing for 2 p.m. on December 23, following the indictment of Oh by a special counsel team on charges of violating the Political Funds Act.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the special counsel team suspects that Oh enlisted his supporter, businessman Kim Han-jung, to pay 33 million won (approximately US$22,400) to Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker, for ten public opinion surveys conducted from January to February 2021. The payments were reportedly made in five installments between February and March of that year to an employee of Future Korea Research Institute, a polling company managed by Myung, before Oh's election in April.

Former Seoul Deputy Mayor Kang Cheol-won, who served as chief of staff for Oh's campaign, and Kim, the supporter, have also been indicted on the same charges and will face trial alongside the mayor. The preparatory hearing is intended to allow the prosecution and defense to present their positions and arrange future proceedings, with the defendant's presence not required.

Oh has refuted the allegations, maintaining that he neither commissioned nor received the surveys from Myung, and asserted that Kim's payment was unrelated to him. Meanwhile, Myung has contended that he met with Oh seven times, during which the mayor allegedly solicited assistance, expressing a need for a poll showing him defeating his rival Na Kyung-won.

A conviction for receiving illegal political funds, as prohibited by the Political Funds Act, could significantly impact Oh's political career. A confirmed fine of 1 million won or more would disqualify him from holding public office for five years, while a prison sentence would extend the ban to ten years.