Moon's indictment adds him to a long list of South Korean leaders who have faced trials or scandals at the close of their terms or after leaving office.
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Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in was indicted Thursday on bribery charges, accused of accepting illegal favours through a no-show job arranged for his then-son-in-law during his term in office.
Prosecutors say Moon received bribes worth 217 million won (€133,239) from Thai Eastar Jet founder Lee Sang-jik, who allegedly provided wages, housing, and other financial support to Moon’s former son-in-law between 2018 and 2020.
Lee, a former campaign associate of Moon’s, was also indicted for bribery and breach of trust.
The son-in-law was reportedly hired at Lee’s Thailand-based airline company in a director-level role despite having no aviation experience and carried out only minor duties while claiming to be working remotely from South Korea.
Lee was later appointed to lead a state-funded agency and nominated for parliament by Moon’s party, though prosecutors say they found no direct evidence that Moon facilitated these roles.
The indictment comes ahead of South Korea’s 3 June presidential election, following the ousting of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, who now faces trial over an attempt to impose martial law.
Moon’s allies in the Democratic Party denounced the charges as politically motivated, accusing prosecutors loyal to Yoon of trying to discredit the former liberal leader ahead of the election.
Despite the indictment, liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung remains the frontrunner in a fractured race, though he too is on trial for separate corruption allegations.
Moon served as president of South Korea from 2017 to 2022. He is best known for his push to reconcile with rival North Korea, as he met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un three times and facilitated the start of the high-stakes nuclear diplomacy between Kim and US President Donald Trump.
Moon’s supporters credit him with achieving now-stalled cooperation with North Korea and avoiding major armed clashes, but opponents say he was a naive Pyongyang sympathiser who ended up helping the North buy time to advance its nuclear program in the face of international sanctions and pressure.