South Korea's ex-President Moon Jae-in indicted for bribery
Moon, who led South Korea from 2017 to 2022 under the banner of the centre-left Democratic Party, is alleged to have appointed a former lawmaker to a government-funded nonprofit agency in exchange for his then son-in-law being employed at a Thailand-based airline, Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office said in a statement on Thursday.
Prosecutors allege that Moon appointed Lee Sang-jik to lead the SMEs and Startups Agency in return for his ex-son-in-law, surnamed Seo, being appointed executive director at Thai Eastar Jet, which was controlled by Lee at the time.
They allege that some 223 million won ($151,959) in salary and other benefits provided to Seo constituted a bribe to Moon.
The Democratic Party condemned the indictment as politically motivated and an abuse of prosecutorial power.
'So the salary paid to the son-in-law was a bribe to the president? Is this the best logic they could come up with after dragging the case out for four long years?' spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee said in a statement.
Moon's indictment adds him to a long list of former South Korean presidents who have found themselves in trouble with the law.
Moon's successor, impeached ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol, is currently on trial on insurrection charges over his short-lived declaration of martial law last year.
Four other ex-South Korean leaders, including Moon's immediate predecessors Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, have been given prison terms.
Moon's political mentor, former President Roh Moo-hyun, took his own life in 2009 while under investigation for bribery.
While in office, Moon, a former human rights lawyer, pushed to expand social welfare and championed rapprochement with North Korea.
South Korea is set to hold a presidential election on June 3 to replace Yoon, whose impeachment was upheld by the Constitutional Court of Korea earlier this month.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
N Korean leader threatens to accelerate nuclear build-up
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has threatened to accelerate the expansion of his country's nuclear arsenal, condemning ongoing United States-South Korea military exercises as a sign of 'hostile intent', according to state media. Kim, who made the remarks during a visit to a naval destroyer, called the drills 'an obvious expression of their will to provoke war', according to a report published on Tuesday. He insisted North Korea must 'rapidly expand' its nuclear weapons programme, pointing to the inclusion of what he called 'nuclear elements' in the drills. The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills began this week, combining large-scale field manoeuvres with upgraded responses to what the US and South Korea claim are North Korea's growing nuclear capabilities. The exercises will run for 11 days, with half of the 40 field training events rescheduled to September. South Korean officials said the adjustment reflects President Lee Jae-myung's call to lower tensions, though analysts doubt Pyongyang will respond positively. Seoul and Washington claim the exercises are purely defensive, but Pyongyang regularly denounces them as preparations for invasion and has often replied with weapons tests. (Agencies)
Qatar Tribune
3 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
China extends probe into EU dairy products
Agencies China extended on Monday its anti-subsidy investigation into European Union dairy imports by six months, showing little sign of let up in a two-front trade war with Brussels and Washington that threatens to upend its export-orientated growth model. The Ministry of Commerce said it had prolonged the investigation period to February 21, 2026, citing the case's complexity. Beijing's decision to extend its probe into some EU cheese, milk and cream products comes after it rolled over in June an investigation into European pork, of which it is also a major buyer, and in July announced duties on EU brandy producers - though major cognac makers were spared provided they sell at or above a minimum price. China is seeking a lasting trade truce with the United States and EU to preserve its export engine as it struggles with the prospect of overhauling its economic model, analysts say, with domestic demand still in the doldrums. Trade tensions between China and the EU erupted in 2023 when the European Commission - which oversees the bloc's trade policy - launched an anti-subsidy probe into China-made electric vehicles (EVs), accusing Beijing of flooding the market with state-backed exports. In April this year, a European Commission spokesperson said the EU and China had agreed to look into setting minimum prices of Chinese-made electric vehicles instead of tariffs imposed by the EU last year. The two sides have yet to reach a deal. 'Beijing is still hoping to come to terms with the EU on a long list of trade conflicts,' said Even Rogers Pay, an analyst at Beijing-based Trivium China who specializes in agriculture. 'This investigation - along with the investigation into EU pork, which was extended in June - are significant bargaining chips in the ongoing negotiations around the EU's tariffs on Chinese new energy vehicles,' she said. China originally announced the dairy probe a year ago, a day after Brussels revised duties on Chinese-made electric vehicles but refrained from abandoning them as Beijing had urged.
Qatar Tribune
7 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
Two killed in large explosion in north-western Syria
Beirut: At least two people have been killed in a large explosion near the city of Idlib in north-western Syria, officials said on Thursday. Four others were injured, according to the local health authority. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor which obtains its information from a network of local informants, reported that four people had been killed in the incident, and two injured. Syrian civil defence said the cause of the explosion is not yet known, and that its workers at the scene are involved in a large-scale operation. Eyewitnesses spoke of several subsequent explosions. The Observatory said that the explosions occurred in a weapons depot belonging to foreign fighters. Drones were reportedly seen in the air at the time of the incident. (DPA)
