By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon was placed firmly on the path to a potential presidential run Friday after an appellate court overturned his earlier conviction and acquitted him of corruption charges in a case closely watched by both the ruling and opposition parties for how it would shape the next presidential race.
Oh, who narrowly won his fifth term as Seoul mayor in June's local elections, has been considered a favorite within the conservative People Power Party (PPP) to beat President Lee Jae Myung's liberal Democratic Party (DP) in the next presidential election set for 2030.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (C) speaks to reporters outside the Seoul High Court in the capital on Oct. 23, 2026, after the court acquitted him of violating the Political Funds Act. (Yonhap)
The trial weighed heavily on his prospects, though, as a finalized fine of 1 million won (US$755) or heavier punishment could have cost him both his mayoralty and the chance to run for an elected office for the next five years. The charge against him was that he had made a supporter pay for opinion polls ahead of his 2021 election and a lower court found him partially guilty, sentencing him to a 10 million-won fine. The Seoul High Court overturned the conviction Friday, however, saying the allegations could not be adequately proven.
A final ruling by the Supreme Court still awaits, as the special counsel team that indicted Oh immediately vowed to appeal, but the chances of a reversal are deemed considerably low.
The mayor has been at the forefront of conservatives' fight against the Lee administration with Oh vocally opposing its policies on housing, a sensitive issue seen as a major factor behind the president's falling approval ratings in recent months.
A TV screen at Seoul Station in the capital shows a live broadcast of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's trial on Oct. 23, 2026. (Yonhap)
Oh's victory in the June elections was itself hailed as a warning from voters against what some viewed as the Lee administration's high-handedness one year into its term as it rode a wave of support in the wake of preceding conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched declaration of martial law.
With Friday's ruling, Oh is likely to gain more followers within the PPP despite his relatively weak political influence until now, several lawmakers and pundits said.
The increased influence could also be leveraged to drive out PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok, who has been at the center of an internal feud amid his refusal to sever ties with Yoon and take responsibility for the party's defeat in the June elections.
Meanwhile, independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, a former PPP leader and another favorite to be the next conservative presidential contender, could have more to gain than lose if he partners with Oh to install a new leadership in the PPP, the local political observers said.
The DP's response was cutting.
Only last month, DP leader Kim Min-seok had been caught on camera looking at a notepad on which five names had been written down, including his own, to consider as candidates in the event a by-election were to be held to pick Oh's replacement.
"This ruling defied common sense," DP senior spokesperson Park Sung-joon said in a statement. "It will serve as a catalyst for judicial reform."
hague@yna.co.kr
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