Moon Jae-in led South Korea from 2017 to 2022. The allegations relate to Moon’s ex-son-in-law’s employment at a Thai budget airline.
Moon was “indicted for corruption for receiving 217 million won (€134,000, $152,000) in connection with facilitating the employment of his son-in-law at an airline,” the Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office said.
What do we know about the indictments?
Former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik was also indicted for bribery and breach of trust, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors suspect Lee’s appointment to lead the non-profit Korea SMEs & Startups Agency (KOSME) was in exchange for getting Moon’s former son-in-law a job at Thailand-based budget carrier Thai Eastar Jet.
Lee was in charge of the airline from 2018 to 2020.
Prosecutors believe that Lee’s appointment was made in exchange for hiring Seo at the airline.
Investigators also suspect that Moon’s son-in-law’s salary was in fact a bribe to the then-president.
Moon’s daughter Da-hye has also been accused as part of the indictment, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
The development comes just six weeks before a general election in South Korea, which has been gripped by political controversies in recent months.
The election, originally due to be held in March 2027, was brought forward to June 3 after the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, who succeeded the left-leaning Moon in 2022.
Yoon, a conservative, was impeached and removed from office declaring martial law late last year, which triggered a severe political crisis in South Korea.
If convicted, Yoon could face life in prison or even the death penalty.
Edited by: John Silk
DW News
