Former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don Sent to Prosecution with 'Indictment Opinion' Only for Forced Molestation Charges

Busan Police Agency Dismisses Other Complaints as 'No Charges'

Former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don is leaving after completing a summons investigation at the Busan Police Agency on May 22. [Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don, who has been under police investigation for forced molestation charges, will be sent to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment.

Aside from the forced molestation charges, former Mayor Oh was found not guilty of other allegations including recruitment corruption, violations of the Public Official Election Act, and abuse of authority.

On the 25th, the Busan Police Agency announced that they will forward former Mayor Oh to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment on the forced molestation charges.

According to the police, former Mayor Oh is accused of sexually harassing a subordinate employee in his office at Busan City Hall last March. The police applied the charge of forced molestation, which carries a heavier sentence, rather than sexual harassment by abuse of authority in the workplace.

Sexual harassment by abuse of authority in the workplace carries a penalty of up to 3 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 15 million won, whereas forced molestation carries a penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 15 million won.

Earlier, in May, the prosecution had requested a pre-trial detention warrant for former Mayor Oh on the forced molestation charges, but it was dismissed.

After the dismissal, the police and prosecution investigated 15 key witnesses and additionally secured notarized documents, focusing on proving the charges, but ultimately concluded that there was no evidence for the other allegations.

Suspicions of violations of the Public Official Election Act and abuse of authority were also cleared. Former Mayor Oh had been suspected of coordinating his resignation timing and attempting to cover up the incident before the April 15 general election to prevent the forced molestation charges from affecting the election.

The police also investigated allegations of illegal recruitment, but found that the recruited candidates had outstanding language skills and expertise, resulting in no charges.

Meanwhile, the police investigated 54 individuals who posted defamatory comments against the victim, sending 5 of them to the prosecution and continuing investigations on the rest.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.