South Korea prosecutors indict ex-president Moon Jae-in for bribery

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SEOUL -- South Korean prosecutors have indicted former president Moon Jae-in for alleged bribery, a prosecution office spokesperson said on Thursday, in a case related to the appointment of his former son-in-law at a Thai airline.

Moon, 72, was indicted for bribery, while former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik was indicted for bribery and breach of trust, Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office said in a statement.

Prosecutors had been investigating whether Lee's appointment as the head of the SMEs and Startups Agency was in exchange for Moon's former son-in-law getting a job and receiving a salary plus living expenses at the Thai-based corporation that Lee controlled in 2018-2020, the statement said.

The prosecution alleges that the money Moon's son-in-law received as an executive director totalling 5.95 million baht ($177,506), or 218 million won, was irregular and constituted a bribe to the then-president.

Moon, Lee and their legal representatives could not immediately be reached for comment.

Moon was president between 2017 and 2022.

He was replaced by the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol as president. Yoon was removed from office this month after being impeached over his short-lived imposition of martial law.

Reuters