South Korea’s top conservative ‘a wounded lame duck’ after guilty verdict
A campaign finance conviction threatens to end Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s presidential ambitions, just weeks after winning a fifth term A South Korean court’s conviction of Seoul’s mayor for illegal polling payments threatens to put an end to his presidential ambitions just weeks after he won a historic fifth term. Under South Korean law, any elected official fined more than 1 million won for violating the Political Funds Act forfeits their office and faces a five-year election ban once the ruling is finalised on appeal. Should the Supreme Court uphold Wednesday’s verdict, Oh would be stripped of his position as Seoul’s mayor and forfeit any hope of winning a seat in the 2028 National Assembly elections or entering the next presidential race in 2030.
