Former President Moon Jae-in, Facing Bribery Charges, to Stand Trial Before a Jury; Daughter Da-hye Moon Selected as Witness

[Financial News]  Former President Moon Jae-in, who was indicted on bribery charges related to his former son-in-law’s salary, will stand trial before a jury next January. His daughter, Da-hye Moon, has been selected as a witness.
According to Yonhap News Agency and other reports on the 22nd, Criminal Division 21 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Cho Soon-pyo, held the seventh preparatory hearing for Moon Jae-in and former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik that day.
A preparatory hearing is a procedure held before the formal trial to confirm the positions of the defendants and the prosecution and establish the schedule for future proceedings. Defendants are not required to attend. Moon Jae-in was absent, while Lee Sang-jik appeared in court.
The court handled procedural matters, including whether to admit evidence and which witnesses to call.
The court selected Da-hye Moon as a witness, stating, "It seems strange that a key party named in the indictment is not appearing in court."
The court also selected the head of the company’s finance team and an accounting staff member as witnesses. They are expected to help determine whether Mr. Seo’s salary and other payments could be considered bribes if he had worked normally at Tai Eastar Jet.
The court selected 15 witnesses, including these individuals. Witness examinations are expected to take approximately 5.5 days, and the court plans to limit the questioning time to three hours per witness.
The court announced that the jury trial would be held over approximately two weeks between January 11 and January 29 next year. The legal teams for Moon Jae-in and Lee Sang-jik filed applications for jury trials with the court in August and June of last year, respectively.
Moon Jae-in was previously indicted without detention last April on bribery charges under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes. Lee Sang-jik was indicted on charges of providing bribes and occupational breach of trust.
Moon Jae-in is accused of having Mr. Seo, his former son-in-law, hired by Tai Eastar Jet, which was beneficially owned by Lee Sang-jik, and receiving approximately 217 million won in bribes under the guise of salary and housing expenses from August 2018 to April 2020.
Lee Sang-jik is accused of providing bribes by hiring Mr. Seo and paying him salary and housing expenses. He also faces an occupational breach of trust charge for causing losses to Tai Eastar Jet by hiring Mr. Seo, who had no experience in the aviation industry.
Tai Eastar Jet was the overseas corporate entity of Eastar Jet, which was beneficially owned by Lee Sang-jik. During the Moon Jae-in administration, Lee Sang-jik served as head of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME).
Prosecutors believe that Moon Jae-in conspired with his daughter, Da-hye Moon, and Mr. Seo to have Mr. Seo hired as an executive at Eastar Jet. They allege that Moon Jae-in gained an economic benefit because he stopped providing living expenses to his daughter and her husband after Mr. Seo secured the job.
The next preparatory hearing is scheduled for the 20th of next month.
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter