Delicate time: Moon’s indictment comes before South Korea elects a new president on June 3 to succeed ousted conservative president Yoon. — AP
South Korean prosecutors indicted former liberal president Moon Jae-in on bribery charges, saying that a budget airline gave his son-in-law a lucrative no-show job during Moon’s term in office.
Moon’s indictment yesterday adds him to a long list of South Korean leaders who have faced trials or scandals at the close of their terms or after leaving office.
Prosecutors allege that Moon, who served as president from 2017-2022, received bribes totaling 217 million won (RM668,497) from Lee Sang-jik, founder of the budget carrier Thai Eastar Jet, in the form of wages, housing expenses and other financial assistance provided to Moon’s then-son-in-law from 2018-2020.
The Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement that Lee was also indicted on charges of paying bribes to Moon and committing breaches of trust.
The prosecutors’ office said Moon’s former son-in-law was hired as a director-level employee at Lee’s company in Thailand even though he had no work experience in the airline industry.
The office said he spent only brief periods at the company’s office in Thailand and carried out only minor duties while claiming to be working remotely.
The prosecutors’ office said it had not found evidence that Moon performed political favours for Lee, who worked on Moon’s campaign, but that Lee likely expected his assistance to be repaid.
Lee was later named the head of the state-funded Korea SME and Startups Agency and was nominated by Moon’s party to run for parliament while Moon was in office, but the the prosecutors’ office said that it hasn’t found any evidence that Moon helped Lee win those positions.
Moon’s indictment comes before South Korea elects a new president on June 3 to succeed conservative president Yoon Suk-yeol, who was ousted over an ill-fated imposition of martial law.
It’s unclear if Moon’s indictment will influence prospects for liberals to win back the presidency.
Observers say liberal presidential aspirant Lee Jae-myung is heavily favoured to win the vote as conservatives remain in disarray over Yoon’s ouster, although Lee also faces criminal trials on allegations of corruption and other charges.
Moon is best known for his push to reconcile with rival North Korea as he met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un three times and facilitated the start of the high-stakes nuclear diplomacy between Kim and US President Donald Trump.
Moons’ supporters credit him with achieving now-stalled cooperation with North Korea and avoiding major armed clashes, but opponents say he was a naive North Korea sympathiser who ended up helping the North buy time to advance its nuclear programme in the face of international pressure. — AP
