Oh Se-hoon's side said that, ahead of the sentencing hearing related to Oh's alleged "covering the polling expense," the special counsel and the Democratic Party of Korea are shaking the bench.
Lee Jong-hyeon, the Seoul City special adviser for public livelihood communication, issued a statement on the 20th and said, "Just days before the sentencing hearing, the political special counsel not only suddenly distributed to the media the opinion submitted to the court, but also the Democratic Party of Korea leadership has stepped in to force a baseless conviction."
Lee said, "The collusion between the special counsel and the Democratic Party to turn a judicial process that must be determined solely in court by strict evidence and legal principles into an outside public-opinion battle proves once again that they are not interested in uncovering the truth but are fixated solely on political smears and pressuring the judiciary—this is the worst political scheme."
Lee also said, "After instigating a sham indictment, when exculpatory physical evidence kept emerging in court, the behavior of the giant ruling party, which, lacking confidence, is attempting a public-opinion trial right before the verdict, is a frontal challenge to judicial justice and constitutional values," adding, "While failing even to properly investigate the illegal acts of broker Myeong Tae-gyun's group, who committed fraud, the special counsel's biased indictment that forcibly tied in Mayor Oh Se-hoon—who was a victim of that fraud and had spotted them early and ousted them—will not escape public condemnation."
He went on, "The special counsel and the Democratic Party are trying to force a parallel with the ruling on former President Yoon Suk-yeol to argue similarity with Mayor Oh Se-hoon's case, but this is a malicious framing that completely distorts the facts and physical evidence," adding, "The two cases are entirely different matters, perfectly contrasting in every respect, including nature, evidentiary relationships, and expense structure."
Lee continued his criticism of the Democratic Party leadership. He said, "Han Byeong-do, the Democratic Party floor leader, openly threatened the court by saying he would 'watch the sentencing process,' and Seo Young-kyo, who chairs the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee, even held a press conference and blatantly demanded a conviction and sentencing by saying 'the mayoralty will be lost' and 'hand down the maximum sentence allowed by law,'" adding, "This is a 'rain-prayer-style political scheme' that forces a baseless conviction on the judiciary right before the verdict and an abuse of legislative power."
Lee added, "On top of that, conducting a poll through Kim Ou-joon's polling firm asking whether Mayor Oh Se-hoon should be convicted is a modern-day people's court that denies the rule of law and tries to steer a trial by public opinion—an absurd comedy."
Lee said, "Oh Se-hoon's side has already, up to and including the closing arguments, clearly proven in court the truth of innocence through objective facts and digital forensic physical evidence and completed all procedures," adding, "The special counsel and the Democratic Party should immediately stop their political media maneuvers outside the court that undermine the rule of law."