Court signals jury trial in Moon bribery case as proceedings resume
A Seoul court resumed the bribery case against former President Moon Jae-in over alleged payments tied to his former son-in-law’s job and salary in Thailand.
Former President Moon Jae-in speaks during an event marking the eighth anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on April 27.
YONHAP
The bribery trial of former President Moon Jae-in, accused of accepting bribes in connection with his former son-in-law's overseas employment and salary, resumed on Tuesday after a six-month hiatus.
The Seoul Central District held the fifth pretrial hearing for Moon, who has been indicted without detention on charges of bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The hearing was also for former lawmaker and founder of budget carrier Eastar Jet Lee Sang-jik who is accused of offering the alleged bribes. The court indicated it believes the case should, in principle, proceed as a jury trial.
A pretrial hearing is held to review the positions of the prosecution and defense and organize evidence and witness lists before the trial begins in earnest. Defendants are not required to attend. Moon was absent, while Lee appeared in court.
"A jury trial should, in principle, be held," the court said. "To facilitate that, it would be preferable to keep the number of exhibits and witnesses to a minimum."
Both Moon and Lee previously requested a jury trial. The court will hold one more pretrial hearing on Aug. 25 to further organize the evidence before deciding whether to grant the request.
The former president was indicted without detention on charges of receiving about 217 million won ($145,000) in bribes between August 2018 and April 2020 in the form of salary and housing expenses paid in Thailand to his then son-in-law, identified by the surname Seo, after Seo was hired by Thai Eastar Jet, a Thailand-based airline believed to have been effectively controlled by Lee.
Prosecutors allege that after the son-in-law started receiving a salary from the airline, Moon and his wife Kim Jung-sook allegedly stopped providing financial support to their daughter Moon Da-hye and Seo. Prosecutors argue that the resulting financial benefit constituted a bribe.
BY PARK JONG-SUH [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
