Former President of South Korea in Named Suspect in Bribery Probe
- Instagram/Seoul_Korea
Seoul, VIVA – Prosecutors in South Korea have identified former president Moon Jae-in as a suspect in a bribery case, alleging that his former son-in-law received preferential treatment in securing a job with an airline in return for arranging a key government appointment for the politician who founded the airline.
The Criminal Division 3 of the Jeonju District Prosecutor’s Office is leading the investigation into Moon’s potential involvement, as detailed in a search warrant executed on August 30 at the home of his daughter, Moon Da-hye.
The raid stems from complaints filed four years ago regarding the hiring of Moon’s then son-in-law, identified only by his surname Seo, at Thai Eastar Jet.
Seo has since divorced Moon. The investigation focuses on a possible connection between Seo’s employment and the appointment of former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik as head of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, or Kosme.
Moon Jae-in (Kiri)
- ANTARA
The conservative ruling People Power Party (PPP) and Seoul-based civic group Justice People filed four complaints between September 2020 and April 2021, alleging possible quid pro quo.
In September 2020, the PPP, then the main opposition party, filed a corruption complaint with prosecutors regarding Seo’s appointment as executive director of Thai Eastar Jet, a low-cost carrier founded by Lee, a two-term lawmaker with the then ruling Democratic Party and the founder of South Korean budget airline Eastar Jet.
Lee was appointed Kosme president in March 2018, just months before Seo joined Eastar’s Thai unit in July that year.
Seo’s lack of airline industry experience, combined with the company’s financial struggles, raised suspicions of presidential office involvement in his appointment.
Prosecutors suspect that Lee’s appointment as Kosme chief may have been decided during an informal meeting of presidential secretaries in late 2017.
The prosecution alleges that Moon and his wife had been supporting their daughter’s family for some time, but ceased this support after Seo was hired by Thai Eastar Jet.
If the support was cut off after Seo’s employment, the prosecution believes that the support from the airline, including Seo’s salary and housing, could be seen as a bribe to Moon.
Prosecutors estimate that Mr Seo received a total of 223 million won (S$218,000) in salary and relocation expenses to Thailand between July 2018 and April 2020, which they view as bribes to Moon, as quoted from the Straits Time.
