Seoul Mayor Oh's residence, office raided over alleged ties to shadowy power broker

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Seoul Mayor Oh's residence, office raided over alleged ties to shadowy power broker

Published: 20 Mar. 2025, 19:11 Updated: 20 Mar. 2025, 19:48

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Investigators raid the City Hall in central Seoul as part of their probe into Mayor Oh Se-hoon's corruption allegations on March 20. [YONHAP]

Prosecutors on Thursday raided Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s official residence and the City Hall as investigations into his alleged ties to Myung Tae-kyun during the 2021 mayoral by-election intensified.

The raid came as part of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office’s probe into allegations that Myung, a self-proclaimed power broker, conducted 13 unpublished opinion polls through Future Korea Research Institute, a polling agency reportedly linked to Myung, during the 2021 by-election.

Following the raid on Thursday, Oh said the prosecutors' search was something he had been "waiting for."

"A necessary process took place today," Oh told reporters at the City Hall.

"It was a process I needed to go through to comply with a summons and bring the investigation to a close," he said, adding that he is waiting to be questioned as soon as possible.

Prosecutors and investigators arrived at Oh’s residence in Hannam-dong and City Hall in central Seoul around 9 a.m., with the search beginning at around 10:30 a.m. in the presence of Oh’s attorney.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the raid stemmed from a complaint filed by a civic group on Nov. 25 last year. The group accused Oh of violating the Political Funds Act and the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act in connection to the mayor's alleged connection with Myung.

The search warrant covered documents, objects and digital records exchanged by Oh between Jan. 1, 2021, and April 30, 2024. The prosecutors specifically sought materials related to the alleged polling activities, as well as data from the mayor’s computer, phone and schedule records.

The city government said that Oh had submitted his phones, office computer and tablet to facilitate a “prompt investigation.”

Reporters wait outside Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's residence in Yongsan District, central Seoul, as prosecutors raid the property on March 20 over corruption allegations against him. [YONHAP]

The prosecutors are also investigating claims that entrepreneur Kim Han-jeong, a longtime sponsor of Oh, covered the polling expenses, which reportedly totaled 33 million won ($22,510).

The residence of Kang Cheol-won, the city’s former deputy mayor for public affairs, was also raided on Thursday. Kang, who was part of Oh’s campaign during the 2021 by-election, was summoned for questioning on March 10 as part of the investigation.

Myung has claimed that he met Oh “seven times during the campaign” and that the mayor personally called him to request poll results that would give him an advantage over his opponent, then-People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Na Kyung-won.

Oh has acknowledged meeting Myung through former PPP Rep. Kim Young-sun but said he cut ties with him in February 2021 after finding a test survey result unreliable.

In December, Oh filed a complaint against Myung with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, accusing him of fraud and dereliction of duty after allegations surfaced about Myung’s connection to his campaign.

Myung has been indicted and detained at Changwon Prison in South Gyeongsang since Dec. 3 on charges of violating the Political Funds Act.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]