South Korea prosecutors indict ex-president Moon Jae-in for bribery

On Thursday, South Korean prosecutors charged former president Moon Jae-in with alleged bribery, marking him as the newest former leader in the nation to encounter legal issues related to the hiring of his former son-in-law at a Thai airline.

Moon, 72, faced charges of bribery, and in the same case, former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik was charged with bribery and breach of trust, according to a statement from the Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office.

The statement indicated that prosecutors were looking into whether Lee’s selection as the head of the SMEs and Startups Agency was in return for Moon’s former son-in-law obtaining a position and being paid a salary along with living expenses at the Thai corporation that Lee managed during 2018-2020.

The prosecution claims that the funds totaling 5.95 million baht ($177,506) received by Moon’s son-in-law as an executive director were irregular and amounted to a bribe for the then-president.

Prosecutors cited earlier bribery cases concerning former presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, who were both found guilty and imprisoned, as examples for Moon’s indictment.

Youn Kun-young, a legislator and a close associate of Moon, alleged in a Facebook post that the prosecution was trying to frame Moon with “absurd and unfounded accusations” without conducting a proper investigation. The progressive Moon, a lawyer and civil rights advocate, served as president from 2017 to 2022.

In the past twenty years, several South Korean leaders have encountered legal issues or controversies, generally occurring near the end of their terms or after they have departed from office.

This month, Yoon Suk Yeol, the successor to Moon, was ousted from his position following his impeachment related to the brief enforcement of martial law. The former conservative leader, who claimed he did nothing wrong, is currently facing a trial for criminal insurrection charges.