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

South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks during a ceremony of the 103rd anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement Day in Seoul, South Korea, March 1, 2022. Jeon Heon-Kyun/Pool via REUTERS

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.

The liberal-leaning Moon, a lawyer and a civil rights activist, 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.