South Korea: Ex-President Moon indicted over alleged bribery

Jeonju (South Korea), April 24 (IANS) South Korean prosecutors said on Thursday that they have indicted former President Moon Jae-in over charges of bribery in connection with allegations of facilitating the employment of his former son-in-law at an airline.

Moon, who served as President from 2017 to 2022, was indicted for corruption, while former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik, who established the budget carrier Thai Eastar Jet, was indicted for bribery and breach of trust.

Moon and his daughter, Da-hye, were accused of allegedly receiving bribes in the form of salary and other payments for Da-hye's ex-husband, surnamed Seo, by the airline.

Seo was appointed Executive Director at the airline in 2018 after Lee, who founded the airline, was appointed head of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency.

Prosecutors suspect that Lee's appointment was made in exchange for hiring Seo at the airline, particularly given Seo's lack of experience in the airline industry at the time.

Moon is alleged to have stopped providing financial support to his daughter's family after Seo's employment, and prosecutors consider the approximately 217 million won ($151,125) in salary and other compensation paid by the airline to Seo and Da-hye as a bribe to the former President.

The indictment against Moon comes as the nation is gearing up for the June 3 presidential election after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted early this month over his failed martial law bid, Yonhap news agency reported.

Moon's legal team denounced the indictment as a politically motivated move, calling it an "unlawful indictment based on fabricated claims".

They argued that Moon was preparing a written response to prosecutors and had notified them it would be submitted by the end of April. Despite this, prosecutors moved forward without verifying key facts or awaiting the response, the legal team said.

The Democratic Party (DP), which fielded Moon as its candidate in the 2017 presidential election, also condemned the indictment.

DP spokesperson Park Kyung-mee called the move "a political maneuver" aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the former president and the party.

Former DP leader Lee Jae-myung echoed the criticism, describing the indictment as "an act of political persecution against the previous administration."

--IANS

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