Moon indicted without detention on bribery charges

Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in was indicted Thursday without detention on bribery charges, prosecutors said, marking the first time he has faced criminal charges since leaving office and making him the sixth former president to be indicted in the country's history.

The Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office said Moon, 72, was charged as an accomplice under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The case stems from a 2021 complaint filed by a civic group, with the investigation lasting more than three years.

Prosecutors allege that Moon’s former son-in-law, surnamed Seo, was hired with preferential treatment by Thai Eastar Jet in 2018 despite having no experience in the airline industry. At the time, the company was effectively controlled by Lee Sang-jik, a former Democratic Party lawmaker who was appointed that year as head of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency.

Lee was also indicted without detention on charges of bribery and breach of trust. Prosecutors claim that his hiring of Seo was in return for the government post, and that the alleged arrangement took place within the presidential office's sphere of influence. The case was filed with the Seoul Central District Court.

Seo, who was married to Moon’s daughter at the time, received about 152 million won ($110,000) in salary and 65 million won ($47,000) in living expenses in Thailand. Prosecutors argue the total, roughly 217 million won ($157,000), constitutes a financial benefit to Moon, who they say stopped providing his daughter and son-in-law with living support after the job placement.

Prosecutors chose not to indict Moon’s daughter, Moon Da-hye, or Seo, citing their family ties and other mitigating factors.

A Democratic Party lawmaker said Moon dismissed the indictment as “groundless and absurd,” calling it a retaliatory move in response to the recent impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol.


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