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Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in indicted in bribery case
Allegations against Moon
According to prosecutors, Moon's former son-in-law, identified only by the surname Seo, was hired as executive director of Thai Eastar Jet in 2018, despite having no notable experience in aviation. The appointment allegedly came in exchange for Eastar Jet founder and former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik being named head of the state-run Korea SMEs and Startups Agency that same year.
Prosecutors claim this deal was orchestrated to indirectly benefit Moon.
Seo reportedly received around 217 million won in salary and housing support between 2018 and 2020. A Reuters report cited by prosecutors noted that Seo frequently absented himself from his duties and failed to perform in a capacity commensurate with his role.
Yoon Suk Yeol removed from office
Just weeks ago, former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office after declaring martial law—a move that sparked public outrage. He, too, now faces criminal charges.
Moon joins Yoon and other former South Korean presidents who have faced prosecution. South Korea's first female president, Park Geun-hye, was impeached in 2017 following a high-profile corruption scandal involving her confidante Choi Soon-sil. She was sentenced to a combined 22 years in prison before being pardoned on health and humanitarian grounds in December 2021.
Moon's immediate predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, was convicted of embezzlement and bribery, receiving a 17-year sentence in 2018. He was released early through a presidential pardon in 2022, also citing health issues. Moon's political mentor, Roh Moo-hyun, also faced a corruption probe linked to his family after leaving office and died by suicide in 2009. Earlier, former military rulers Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo were convicted in 1996 for mutiny, treason, and corruption related to the 1979 coup and the 1980 Gwangju massacre. Chun's death sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment, while Roh received a 17-year sentence. Both were pardoned in 1997 as part of a national reconciliation effort led by then-president Kim Young-sam with the support of president-elect Kim Dae-jung.
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First Post
a day ago
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Kim Jong Un denounces South Korea-US exercises as he reviews nuclear-ready warship
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the warship Choe Hyon in Nampo, North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un condemned South Korean-US military drills and vowed a rapid expansion of his nuclear forces to counter rivals, state media said Tuesday, as he inspected his most advanced warship being fitted with nuclear-capable systems. Kim's visit to the western port of Nampo on Monday came as the South Korean and US militaries kicked off their annual large-scale summertime exercise to bolster readiness against growing North Korean threats. 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