{
  "id": 11372861,
  "title": "18-month prison term sought for Seoul mayor in appellate political funds trial",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/18-month-prison-term-sought-for-seoul-mayor-in-appellate-political",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-02T06:21:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yonhap News",
    "slug": "yonhap-news",
    "url": "https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261002006000315"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is facing a potential 18-month prison sentence in a political funds case involving opinion polls conducted before the 2021 mayoral by-election. Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team has requested the prison term after a lower court fined Oh 10 million won for violating the Political Funds Act, putting his mayoral position at risk. The law states that elected officials face disqualification if they receive a finalized fine of 1 million won or a heavier penalty for accepting illegal political funds. Oh was charged with paying a supporter 33 million won for opinion poll results he obtained 10 times from self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the April 2021 by-election. The lower court partially accepted the charges, ruling that Oh had asked Myung for polls on five occasions, with his supporter paying a total of 21 million won. Min Joong-ki's team accuses Oh of forcing a third party to pay for the polls, emphasizing his prominent position to follow the Political Funds Act. Currently, Oh serves his fifth term as Seoul mayor, having won re-election on June 3.",
  "summary": "SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- A special counsel team on Friday sought an 18-month pr...",
  "key_points": [
    "Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon faces 18-month prison term.",
    "Special counsel Min Joong-ki requests the sentence.",
    "Oh fined 10 million won for violating Political Funds Act."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The prosecution's upgraded push for prison time raises the stakes for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, potentially threatening his mayoral position and putting him at risk of disqualification if convicted.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "18-month prison term sought for Seoul mayor in appellate political funds trial",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/18-month-prison-term-sought-for-seoul-mayor-in-appellate-political-11376249",
        "published": "2026-10-02T06:42:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}