Prosecutors in South Korea have indicted former president Moon Jae-in on charges of bribery

Moon Jae-in, the former president of South Korea, was charged by prosecutors on Thursday with bribery, becoming the most recent former head of state to be charged in a case involving the hiring of his son-in-law at a Thai airline.

The Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office stated in a statement that Moon, 72, was charged with bribery, and that former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik was charged with both bribery and breach of trust in the same case.

The statement added that prosecutors had been looking into whether Lee’s appointment as the head of the SMEs and Startups Agency was in exchange for Moon’s ex-son-in-law landing a job at the Thai-based company that Lee managed in 2018–2020 and earning a salary plus living costs.

According to the prosecution, Moon’s son-in-law received 5.95 million baht ($177,506) as an executive director, which was a bribe to the then-president and was irregular.

In support of their accusation, prosecutors cited prior bribery instances involving former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, both of whom were found guilty and imprisoned.

Comments from Moon, Lee, and their attorneys were not immediately available.

Moon’s close aide and lawmaker Youn Kun-young said in a Facebook post that the prosecution had falsely accused Moon of “ridiculous and groundless charges” without conducting a thorough investigation.

From 2017 to 2022, the liberal Moon, a human rights activist and lawyer, served as president.

A number of South Korean politicians have been involved in scandals or prosecutions during the past 20 years, usually around the conclusion of their terms or after they stepped down.

This month, Moon’s successor, Yoon Suk Yeol, was ousted from office following his impeachment for imposing martial law for a brief period of time. The conservative former leader is currently facing criminal allegations of insurrection after denying any culpability.

On June 3, South Korea will have a snap election to choose a new leader, and the liberal Lee Jae-myung, who is a member of the same Democratic Party as Moon, is predicted by pollsters to win.

Moon’s indictment was referred to by Lee’s campaign as political retaliation by the prosecution and a crackdown on the former government.