South Korea's Ex-President Moon Jae-in Named Suspect in Bribery Case

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former President of South Korea Moon Jae-in has been named a suspect in a bribery case involving his son-in-law's appointment to a strategic position at an airline company.

The South Korean High Prosecutors' Office previously issued a search warrant on August 30, targeting the home of Moon's daughter, Moon Da-hye. This action followed allegations that Moon's former son-in-law, Seo, obtained a job through improper means at Thai Eastar Jet, an airline founded by former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik.

Seo, who is now divorced from Da-hye, was appointed as executive director at Thai Eastar Jet in 2020. 

The South Korean prosecutor's office received a complaint regarding this appointment. The Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office’s Criminal Division 3 is leading the raids and investigations.

Many believe that the job offer was a quid pro quo for arranging a key government position for Lee. The authorities have been investigating potential links between Seo's employment and the appointment of Lee Sang-jik as head of the Korea SME and Startup Agency, or Kosme, in March 2018, just months before Seo joined Eastar’s Thai unit in July of the same year. Moon was still president that year.

Seo's lack of experience and the company's financial difficulties raised suspicions about the involvement of the presidential office in Lee's appointment.

In September 2020 and April 2021, the then-opposition People Power Party (PPP) and Seoul-based civic group Justice People filed four complaints alleging possible quid pro quo ties between Lee and Seo.

The PPP filed a corruption complaint with prosecutors regarding Seo’s appointment at Thai Eastar Jet, which was founded by Lee, a two-term lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party at the time. Lee was also the founder of South Korea’s low-cost carrier Eastar Jet.

Prosecutors suspect that Lee's appointment may have been decided during an informal meeting of presidential secretaries in late 2017.

Prosecutors estimate that Seo received a total of 223 million won (approximately Rp2.5 billion) in salary and relocation costs to Thailand between July 2018 and April 2020. Seo has remained silent throughout the investigation.

ANN | THE KOREA HERALD

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