Former South Korean president Moon Jae In indicted on bribery charges

Former South Korean president Moon Jae In was indicted without detention on charges of bribery on Thursday, in the latest incident of criminal trial against an ex-political head in the country.

Mr Moon – credited with achieving now-stalled cooperation with North Korea and avoiding major armed clashes during his tenure that ended in 2022 – is facing corruption charges in connection with the employment of his former son-in-law.

Prosecutors alleged that Mr Moon, 72, received bribes totalling 217m won ($151,705; 1,13,621) 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 Mr Moon's then-son-in-law from 2018-2020.

Mr Moon's daughter and her husband, identified only by his last name Seo, were divorced in 2021, according to reports.

The Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office on Thursday said that Lee was also indicted on charges of paying bribes to Mr Moon and committing breaches of trust.

Prosecutors launched an investigation into Mr Moon's alleged involvement in corruption following a complaint by Seoul-based civic group Justice People in December 2021. The group alleged a possible quid-pro-quo involving Mr Moon, his former son-in-law and Lee, who also served as a two-term lawmaker from the then-ruling Democratic Party.

The prosecutors' office said Mr 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. Mr Moon has been accused of using his presidential staff to help arrange his son-in-law’s relocation from South Korea to Thailand.

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 from South Korea.

Mr Moon’s former son-in-law “did not provide proper labour befitting his position as the executive director. But Mr Seo received a monthly salary of 8m won, almost twice the salary of the airline’s CEO”, the Jeonju District Prosecutor’s Office said.

The prosecutors' office said it had not found evidence that Mr Moon performed political favours for Lee, who worked on Mr Moon's campaign, but that Lee likely expected his assistance to be repaid.

Lee was later named the head of the state-funded Korea small business and startup agency and was nominated by Mr Moon's party to run for parliament while he was in office. The prosecutors' office, however, said that it hasn't found any evidence that Mr Moon helped Lee win those positions.

The trial proceedings for Mr Moon will be held in Seoul, as the prosecution filed the indictment with the Seoul Central District Court, reported The Korea Herald.

Mr Moon's indictment comes before South Korea elects a new president on 3 June to succeed conservative president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted over a short-lived martial law imposition.

His indictment 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, including four of the recent former presidents.

In 2017, Park Geun Hye, South Korea's first female president, was removed from office and arrested over an explosive corruption scandal. Mr Moon in 2021 pardoned Ms Park, who was serving a 22-year prison sentence after being convicted of corruption.

Ms Park’s conservative predecessor Lee Myung Bak was also arrested on a range of crimes, years after leaving office. He was pardoned by president Yoon Suk Yeol in 2022 while serving a 17-year term on bribery and embezzlement charges.

Mr Moon's friend and former liberal president Roh Moo Hyun died by suicide in 2009 amid corruption investigations into his family.