Former President Moon’s Korean Jury Trial Set for Next January ... Public to Decide on Bribery Charge

[Financial News] A Korean Jury Trial on former President Moon Jae-in’s bribery charge will be held next January. A verdict is expected after the two-week trial.
The 21st Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Cho Soon-pyo, announced this on the 20th during a pretrial hearing on charges that former President Moon and others violated the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (bribery).
The Korean Jury Trial will run for 10 days, from January 11 through 22 next year. The former president’s side applied for a Korean Jury Trial when the trial began last year.
A Korean Jury Trial is a system in which members of the public participate in criminal trials as jurors. They also give their views on whether the defendant is guilty and on sentencing. Jury selection will take place on the morning of the first day of the trial. A total of 11 jurors, including two alternates, will participate.
Substantive witness examinations will take place from January 12 to 14. A total of 18 witnesses are scheduled to be questioned, including key witnesses: former President Moon’s daughter Dahye and his former son-in-law, Mr. Seo. The court said, “As far as I know, this is the first trial in a Korean Jury Trial to have this many witness examinations,” adding, “It is also in the defendant’s interest to cooperate with witnesses appearing in court.”
The prosecution initially requested around 100 witnesses, but substantially reduced the number, saying the hearing period needed to be shortened because of physical constraints, among other reasons, given the nature of a Korean Jury Trial.
At the pretrial hearing that day, the prosecution and the defense continued to dispute the admission of additional witnesses until the end.
The court said, “They are using the authority they can exercise as prosecutors for the last time,” and “It is the defense’s role to counter that through cross-examination,” and admitted the prosecution’s witnesses. The court plans to conclude the pretrial hearings on the 17th of next month and proceed directly to the Korean Jury Trial in January next year.
In April last year, the Jeonju District Prosecution Office (formerly the Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office) indicted former President Moon and former lawmaker Lee on charges of bribery and offering a bribe, respectively. The allegation is that in 2018, Moon conspired with his daughter Dahye and her husband to have Thai Eastar Jet, beneficially owned by former lawmaker Lee, hire Mr. Seo as an executive. Lee, the company’s beneficial owner, considered the hiring of Mr. Seo, who had no work experience, to constitute occupational breach of trust.
At the time, Mr. Seo received around 200 million won from Thai Eastar Jet in salary and housing expenses. The prosecution believes this money was a bribe provided to former President Moon. Moon’s side, however, claims he had no involvement in Mr. Seo’s employment. His daughter Dahye and Mr. Seo, who were booked as accomplices, received deferred-prosecution dispositions.
[email protected] Lee Chang-hoon Reporter