Moon Jaein Indicted on Bribery Charges
Park Jumin: "My Blood Is Boiling"
Yoon Geonyoung Criticizes "Railroaded Indictment"
Former President Moon Jaein has been indicted on bribery charges, prompting strong backlash from Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers, who condemned the move as "political retaliation."
On April 24, Jumin Park, a Democratic Party lawmaker, wrote on his Facebook page, "My blood is boiling," and asserted, "The prosecution, obsessed solely with political retaliation, is making its final desperate move."
On this day, prosecutors indicted former President Moon without detention on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery). Moon is accused of arranging for his former son-in-law, Mr. Seo (45), to receive preferential hiring at T'way Air?a company known to be effectively owned by former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Sangjik (62)?from August 2018 to April 2020, thereby enabling Seo to receive approximately 217 million won in salary and housing benefits.
Representative Park argued, "The prosecution, which cannot even touch Kim Keonhee (First Lady), who has actual video evidence of taking bribes, has indicted former President Moon Jaein based solely on their forced and fabricated claims," and added, "If the prosecution's logic is that failing to provide work commensurate with one’s position constitutes bribery, then wouldn’t all of President Yoon Sukyeol’s appointees be criminals as well?"
He further criticized, "The prosecution, which cannot address actual crimes but instead fabricates non-existent ones, no longer has any reason to exist."
Geonyoung Yoon, another Democratic Party lawmaker, also criticized the indictment, stating, "The prosecution has ultimately indicted former President Moon Jaein by pinning absurd and fabricated charges on him." On Facebook, Yoon questioned, "How could the salary that a son-in-law earns by going to work every morning and doing his job possibly be considered a bribe to his father-in-law? Are you saying that, from now on, presidential family members should neither work nor earn money?"
He continued, "There wasn’t even a single investigation (of former President Moon). We were in the process of preparing answers with his legal team to the 127 written questions sent by the Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office. We even applied to the Presidential Archives to review records in order to provide accurate answers."
Yoon added, "Unless it is a political calculation aimed at influencing the upcoming early presidential election, which is being held due to the former president’s unconstitutional and illegal actions, there is simply no other explanation for the prosecution’s railroaded indictment," and said, "What has become clear once again through the indictment of former President Moon Jaein is that not a single person among Yoon Sukyeol and his group?including the prosecution?has come to their senses."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
