Police Conduct 7-Hour Search at Seoul City Hall...Related to Mayor Oh Se-hoon's 'Election Law Violation' Allegations (Comprehensive)

Investigators from the Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency are seen leaving the Seosomun 2 Building of Seoul City Hall on the 31st, carrying boxes containing seized items after conducting a search and seizure at the city's Urban Planning Bureau and other locations.
The police began the search and seizure operation at the Seoul City Urban Planning Bureau and other sites from the morning of the same day. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The police conducted a 7-hour search and seizure at Seoul City Hall in connection with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's alleged violation of the Public Official Election Act.

The Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency reportedly secured materials related to the 'Pine City' permits from 2006 to 2011 from departments under the Seoul City Urban Planning Bureau from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the 31st.

The police are investigating a citizen group’s accusation that false information was disseminated regarding Mayor Oh’s statement in early April, during the by-election, that "the Pine City case is unrelated to my tenure as Seoul Mayor. I was not involved."

It is known that the police are examining whether Mayor Oh’s denial of the permit issuance, despite being sufficiently aware of the related matters during his tenure as Seoul Mayor, constitutes the crime of false statement under the Public Official Election Act.

The police plan to summon and investigate Mayor Oh as soon as the analysis of the seized materials is completed.

The Pine City project was promoted as a complex distribution complex development project including department stores, office facilities, and logistics facilities on a 99,173㎡ (approximately 30,000 pyeong) site near Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu. The site, originally a cargo terminal, was changed to other uses, raising various suspicions of special favors and corruption. It was approved with modifications at the Seoul City Urban Planning Committee review in 2008, received permits in November the following year, but was eventually halted due to failure to repay loans.

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