Saturday, March 29, 2025
South Korea’s former leader faces corruption charges in a widening probe that implicates high-level officials and family connections.
Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been formally indicted on bribery charges, marking a dramatic turn for the liberal figurehead who led the country from 2017 to 2022. The case revolves around the controversial employment of his former son-in-law, Seo, by a budget airline with alleged links to government appointments.
Prosecutors allege Seo, lacking aviation experience, was hired by Thai Eastar Jet, a subsidiary of Eastar Jet, in a quid pro quo deal involving the appointment of the airline’s founder to a top government role.
Moon, widely recognized for his diplomatic overtures toward North Korea during his presidency, now joins a list of South Korean leaders entangled in legal controversies post-office. From imprisonment to impeachment, scandal continues to haunt the country’s top political office.
The indictment comes amid a wider investigation into the Moon administration, including charges filed earlier this month against his former defense minister and national security advisor for alleged intelligence leaks.
Authorities claim Seo was hired as an executive director at Thai Eastar Jet in 2018—the same year Eastar Jet’s founder, Lee Sang-jik, assumed leadership of a government-backed startup agency. Between 2018 and 2020, Seo reportedly earned 217 million won (approx. $150,000) in salary and housing benefits—funds prosecutors argue were effectively bribes directed at Moon through his son-in-law.
Seo, prosecutors say, rarely fulfilled his duties and held the position despite lacking the necessary qualifications or aviation background.
Lee Sang-jik, also a former lawmaker, has been re-indicted on charges of bribery and breach of trust. He was previously sentenced to six years in prison in 2022 for misappropriating company funds.
In connection with the case, authorities also raided the home of Moon’s daughter, Moon Da-hye, in September, as investigations intensified into the financial links between family members and political appointments.
The Democratic Party, Moon’s political base, has strongly criticized the prosecution’s actions, calling the indictment a “targeted and politically motivated attack” designed to discredit a former head of state.
South Korea’s justice system has long faced criticism for being weaponized by incoming administrations against their predecessors, a pattern seen throughout the nation’s modern democratic history.
The indictment comes just weeks after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over a controversial martial law declaration, leaving Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as acting president. The scandal is likely to further inflame political divisions between Moon’s Democratic Party and the ruling People Power Party.
