Source: Yonhap

What happened

On Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, the Seoul High Court found Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon not guilty of violating the Political Funds Act, Yonhap reported in a third-lead update. The appeals court overturned a lower-court result that had imposed a 10 million won (about US$7,500) fine and put him at risk of losing the mayorship.

Special counsel Min Joong-ki’s team said it would appeal to the Supreme Court, calling the ruling “very disappointing.” Oh thanked Seoul residents. The case is therefore not final.

The indictment, as Yonhap summarizes it: Oh was charged over opinion polls tied to the 2021 mayoral by-election — specifically, that a political supporter paid a total of 33 million won for polls Oh allegedly received on 10 occasions from Myung Tae-kyun, a self-described power broker. The Seoul Central District Court in July partially recognized charges: it found Oh had asked Myung for polls on five occasions and that the supporter paid 21 million won, and it ordered forfeiture of that amount. Both sides appealed. The special counsel had sought an 18-month prison term and forfeiture of 33 million won.

The breakdown

Yonhap’s legal mechanics, not a vibe:

The High Court said the core of the case leaned on Myung’s testimony, which it said could not be fully trusted, and that the allegations were not adequately proven. That is an appeals-court proof finding, not a civic essay about Seoul politics.

Under the Political Funds Act, Yonhap notes, elected officials lose their seats if they take a finalized fine of 1 million won or more (or heavier punishment) for improper acceptance of political funds. The July fine sat above that line if it had become final. Friday’s acquittal removes that immediate trigger while the Supreme Court path is open.

Oh, of the main opposition People Power Party, won a nonconsecutive fifth term in the June 3 local elections and is described as a major party figure. That is context for why the special counsel is still in the building. It is not a finding that the mayor “won politics.”

Do not upgrade this brief into a claim that polls were or were not bought. The lower court partially accepted a version of the facts; the High Court did not find the charge proven. The Supreme Court has not spoken.

Why it matters outside Korea

Seoul’s mayor runs the city that most short-stay visitors actually touch: housing permits, transit, crowd control, foreigner-facing events. A finalized funds-law fine at the statutory threshold is a vacancy risk. An acquittal with a promised Supreme Court appeal is a limbo risk: the person in the chair stays, the legal cloud stays, and city-hall counterparts may slow-walk anything that looks political until the last court.

If you work with Seoul Metropolitan Government, do not rewrite the org chart this weekend. If you cover Korean opposition politics from abroad, this is an appeals reversal + further appeal, not a morality play you can close in a newsletter.

What travelers and expats should watch

• Do keep using the mayor’s office as the sitting administration for permits, taxes, and event notices until a final judgment says otherwise.
• Don’t treat Friday as “Oh is cleared forever.” Yonhap’s third paragraph is the special counsel going to the Supreme Court.
• If you have a city-hall dependent process (foreign school, film shoot, large gathering), ask your Korean counsel whether deadlines should be buffered for a possible later vacancy — without assuming one.
• Skip the bar-table verdict. The High Court distrust of one witness is a legal holding, not your cue to name private parties the wire left as roles.

Context

Read this as an intermediate appellate acquittal with a live Supreme Court appeal, not as a final cleansing and not as proof of the underlying money trail. Korelay’s frame: the operational fact for people who deal with Seoul city is who sits in the chair this week plus whether a 1 million-won finalized fine is still a realistic path. Right now the High Court said no; the special counsel is still trying to make it yes.

Source

Primary: Yonhap English, Oct. 23, 2026, 3rd LD (Chae Yun-hwan). Court outcome and statutory seat-loss rule as reported. Allegations remain allegations until a final judgment. Not legal advice.