Former South Korean President Moon Jae-In Indicted On Bribery Charges
According to the report, investigators claim the 223 million won (approximately $151,959) in salary and benefits provided to Seo constitute a bribe to Moon, tying the former president directly to the alleged quid pro quo arrangement.
Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been formally indicted on bribery charges, according to a statement released by the Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office on Thursday.
Moon, who served as president from 2017 to 2022 under the centre-left Democratic Party, is accused of appointing a former lawmaker, Lee Sang-jik, to head a government-funded agency in exchange for his then son-in-law receiving a high-level job at a Thailand-based airline.
Al Jazeera reports that prosecutors allege that Moon’s decision to install Lee as head of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Startups Agency resulted in the appointment of his former son-in-law, surnamed Seo, as executive director at Thai Eastar Jet, a company Lee reportedly controlled at the time.
According to the report, investigators claim the 223 million won (approximately $151,959) in salary and benefits provided to Seo constitute a bribe to Moon, tying the former president directly to the alleged quid pro quo arrangement.
The Democratic Party has rejected the indictment, calling it a politically motivated attack and a misuse of prosecutorial authority.
“So the salary paid to the son-in-law was a bribe to the president? Is this the best logic they could come up with after dragging the case out for four long years?” said party spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee in a statement.
The indictment places Moon among a growing list of former South Korean presidents entangled in legal controversies. His immediate predecessors, Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, both served prison sentences for corruption. Moon’s own political mentor, former President Roh Moo-hyun, tragically died by suicide in 2009 while under investigation for bribery.
During his time in office, Moon was known for his background as a human rights lawyer, his efforts to expand social welfare, and his push for engagement with North Korea.
The indictment comes at a politically sensitive time, as South Korea prepares for a presidential election on June 3.
