Former South Korea President Moon Jae-in indicted in bribery case involving son-in-law’s airline job

SEOUL: Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been formally charged with bribery over claims that he helped secure a job for his former son-in-law at an airline, according to a report by Yonhap News Agency.

Moon and his daughter, Moon Da-hye, are accused of receiving bribes through salary and other payments through the hiring of Moon’s ex-son-in-law, surnamed Seo, by Thai Eastar Jet, a low-cost airline based in Thailand.

Seo was appointed executive director at the airline in 2018 after the company’s founder and former two-term lawmaker Lee Sang-jik was appointed head of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, Yonhap reported.

South Korean prosecutors have indicted former president Moon Jae-in for alleged bribery. The prosecution alleged that the salary Moon’s son-in-law received as an executive director was irregular and constituted a bribe to the then-president.#SouthKorea pic.twitter.com/uZ4Q6WsedJ

— DD News (@DDNewslive) April 24, 2025

Prosecutors believe that Lee was given his government position as part of a deal to secure a job for Seo at the airline, especially since Seo had little to no background in the aviation industry at the time.

According to a report by DW, Moon was “indicted for corruption for receiving 217 million won ($152,000) in connection with facilitating the employment of his son-in-law at the airline,” the Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office said.

This development occurs just six weeks ahead of South Korea’s general election, which has been marked by political turmoil in recent months. The Korean government has formally designated June 3 as the date of the next presidential election following the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The designation was made at a Cabinet meeting four days after the Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.

Under the Constitution, the country is required to hold a new election within 60 days after a vacancy arises in the presidency. The government also designated 3rd June as a temporary public holiday.

Yoon, a conservative, was impeached and ousted after declaring martial law late last year, leading to a major political crisis in the country. (ANI)