Moon Jae-in, Former President of South Korea, Indicted on Bribery Charges

Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been charged with bribery, according to prosecutors.

Moon, who led South Korea from 2017 to 2022 under the banner of the centre-left Democratic Party, is alleged to have appointed a former lawmaker to a government-funded nonprofit agency in exchange for his then son-in-law being employed at a Thailand-based airline, Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement on Thursday.

Prosecutors allege that Moon appointed Lee Sang-jik to lead the SMEs and Startups Agency in return for his ex-son-in-law, surnamed Seo, being appointed executive director at Thai Eastar Jet, which was controlled by Lee at the time.

They claim that approximately 223 million won ($151,959) in wages and additional perks supplied to Seo were essentially bribes intended for Moon.

The Democratic Party condemned the indictment as politically motivated and an abuse of prosecutorial power.

“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?” spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee said in a statement.

Moon’s indictment adds him to a long list of former South Korean presidents who have found themselves in trouble with the law.

Moon’s successor, impeached ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, is currently on trial on insurrection charges over his short-lived declaration of martial law last year.

Four additional former South Korean presidents, including Moon's direct predecessors Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, have received prison sentences.

Moon's political guide, ex-President Roh Moo-hyun, ended his own life in 2009 amid an inquiry into corruption allegations.

During his tenure, Moon, who previously worked as a human rights lawyer, aimed to broaden social welfare programs and advocated for improved relations with North Korea.

South Korea plans to conduct a presidential election on June 3 to succeed Yoon, following his impeachment which was confirmed by the Constitutional Court of Korea earlier this month.