SEOUL – 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 Mr Moon’s potential involvement, as detailed in a search warrant executed on Aug 30 at the home of his daughter, Ms Moon Da-hye.
The raid stems from complaints filed four years ago regarding the hiring of Mr Moon’s then son-in-law, identified only by his surname Seo, at Thai Eastar Jet.
Mr Seo has since divorced Ms Moon.
The investigation focuses on a possible connection between Mr Seo’s employment and the appointment of former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik as head of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, or Kosme.
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 Mr Seo’s appointment as executive director of Thai Eastar Jet, a low-cost carrier founded by Mr Lee, a two-term lawmaker with the then ruling Democratic Party and the founder of South Korea’s budget airline, Eastar Jet.
Mr Lee was appointed Kosme president in March 2018, just months before Mr Seo joined Eastar’s Thai unit in July.
Mr 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 Mr Lee’s appointment as Kosme chief may have been decided during an informal meeting of presidential secretaries in late 2017.
The prosecution alleges that Mr Moon and his wife had been supporting their daughter’s family for some time but ceased this support after Mr Seo was hired by Thai Eastar Jet.
If the support was cut off after Mr Seo’s employment, the prosecution believes that the support from the airline, including Mr Seo’s salary and housing, could be seen as a bribe to Mr 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 Mr Moon.
Accordingly, they indicated in the search warrant that Mr Moon is suspected of receiving this amount as a bribe from Mr Lee.
Mr Seo has been questioned three times in 2024 as a witness, consistently maintaining his right to remain silent.
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Publish date : 2024-08-31 21:30:00
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