Ex-President Moon Jae-in Faces Bribery Allegations, Stirring Outcry in South Korea

Now, to return to the current incident: According to reports from South Korean media, prosecutors believe that the appointment of Moon’s former son-in-law as executive director of the low-cost airline Thai Eastern Jet in 2018 was in exchange for the former lawmaker, who is considered the effective owner of the company, being able to assume the position of chairman of the Small and Medium Venture Business Promotion Corporation. Prosecutors assert that the salary received by the son-in-law between July 2018 and April 2020, along with relocation expenses to Thailand totaling 223 million won (about 24 million yen), constitutes a bribe to Moon. This arrangement meant that Moon no longer had to provide financial support to his daughter and son-in-law.

 

Key figures in the Moon administration were interviewed one after another, “Onion Man” was also interviewed.

The suspicions had surfaced during Moon’s presidency, initially pointed out by opposition lawmakers, followed by citizen groups that filed complaints leading to an investigation by prosecutors. Although there was no significant progress at first, after the change of administration, in September of last year, a prosecutor regarded as one of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s (63) closest aides, who had served as the Supreme Prosecutor’s spokesperson when Yoon was Attorney General, was appointed as the head of the district prosecutor’s office, accelerating the investigation. In August of this year, it was reported that when prosecutors conducted a search of Moon’s daughter’s home, they referred to Moon as a “suspect” in the bribery case in the search warrant.

Thus far, the prosecution has interrogated individuals who held key positions in the Moon administration, including former Justice Minister Cho Kuk (59), who has been mocked as “Onion Man,” and former Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok (58), as their involvement in various allegations, including the daughter’s fraudulent admission to school, has emerged. They have also examined the bank accounts of Moon and his daughter, gathering testimonies from others mentioned in the investigation. Some individuals have even been subjected to travel bans. The prosecutors appear to be investigating the circumstances surrounding the former lawmaker’s appointment as chairman of the public corporation. Based on the results of this investigation, there is a possibility that they will soon seek testimonies from Moon’s daughter, Da-he, as well as from Moon himself.

The investigation into allegations of misconduct during the Moon administration is not the first of its kind. In September 2020, regarding the incident where a South Korean public official was shot and burned by North Korean military forces in the Yellow Sea off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula, former National Security Office Director Suh Hoon (69) and former Defense Minister Suh Wook (61) were later arrested for attempting to conceal information detrimental to the improvement of inter-Korean relations.

Additionally, in November 2019, the Moon administration forcibly repatriated two North Korean fishermen who had been captured by the South Korean military near the inter-Korean maritime border, against their will to defect. In connection with this incident, former National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong (78) and former Chief of Staff Noh Young-min (66) were indicted while at home. In this case, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration publicly released photos of the fishermen resisting their repatriation, aiming to highlight the Moon administration’s cruelty.

In both cases, the investigative reach did not extend to Moon himself, but the current investigation involving his son-in-law directly connects to his family, making Moon a clear target as a suspect.

Yoon Geon-young (55), a close aide to Moon and a former senior official at the presidential office, recently criticized the prosecution sharply on a radio program, calling it suppression of the Moon administration and an insult to former President Moon and stated that the investigation continues until sins emerge like rain dances from Native Americans. He argued that this reflects a political intent to divert attention from the unpopularity of the Yoon administration, which is seeing a decline in approval ratings.

The ruling party associated with Moon, the progressive “Democratic Party of Korea,” has organized a “Committee for Countering Political Suppression by the Previous Administration” to resist the prosecution’s investigation. Committee officials have stated their determination to confront what they see as a prosecutorial dictatorship under the Yoon administration, echoing their past resolve to fight against military regimes for the sake of democracy.

Moon’s daughter, Da-he, is remembered for appearing on stage at a rally in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on the voting day of the presidential election in May 2017, which was held after the impeachment and removal of President Park Geun-hye (72), where she hugged her father.