Oh Geodon Accused of Forcible Sexual Harassment of Employee Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison on Appeal

Former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don, who was indicted for forcibly molesting an employee and causing injury, was sentenced to three years in prison in the appellate court, the same as in the first trial.

On the afternoon of the 9th, the Criminal Division 2 of the Busan High Court (Chief Judge Oh Hyun-gyu) delivered this sentence in the appeal trial of former Mayor Oh, who was charged with forcible molestation and other offenses. The court stated, "The defendant used his overwhelmingly superior position to forcibly molest the victim, and the first trial's judgment that this constitutes sexual violence by abuse of power is appropriate," dismissing both the prosecution's and former Mayor Oh's appeals.

The defense for former Mayor Oh requested a postponement of the sentencing date one day before the scheduled date, but the court did not accept the request. The defense explained that more time was needed to reach a settlement with the victim, while the victim's side reportedly reiterated their refusal to settle.

Earlier, former Mayor Oh was brought to trial on charges of forcibly molesting Busan City Hall employee A in November 2018 and attempting to molest A again in December of the same year. In April 2020, he was also charged with molesting employee B in the mayor's office and causing injuries including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (forcible molestation causing injury). He resigned from his mayoral position on April 23, shortly after the April 15 general election last year.

The first trial sentenced former Mayor Oh to three years in prison and ordered his detention, stating, "This case involves the defendant using his overwhelmingly superior position over the victim, constituting sexual violence by abuse of power." He was also ordered to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program and was banned from employment in child and youth facilities and welfare facilities for the disabled for five years.

The defense contested whether the mental harm suffered by the victim, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), could be considered an injury caused by forcible molestation, but the first trial court found the charge of forcible molestation causing injury to be valid.

In the appellate trial, former Mayor Oh's defense, which had continued to deny the charge of forcible molestation causing injury, recently withdrew this claim and admitted to the charges.

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