Moon Jaein Bribery Case Assigned to Criminal Agreement Division 21

The first trial court that will hear the bribery case against former President Moon Jaein has been assigned.

Former President Moon Jaein. Yonhap News

On April 25, the Seoul Central District Court assigned the case involving former President Moon, who has been charged with bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, to Criminal Agreement Division 21, presided over by Judge Lee Hyeonbok. Criminal Agreement Division 21 specializes in election and corruption cases. Now that the court has been designated, proceedings are expected to begin soon.

Presiding Judge Lee, who leads this division and is a 30th-term graduate of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, has previously served as a judge at the Seoul Central District Court, public relations deliberation officer at the National Court Administration, research judge at the Supreme Court, and head of the Yeoju Branch Court. He was reassigned to the Seoul Central District Court this year. During his time as a Supreme Court justice, Chief Justice Cho Heedae worked with Judge Lee, who served as his dedicated research judge.

Previously, on April 24, the Criminal Division 3 of the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office indicted former President Moon without detention. Prosecutors allege that in March 2018, while serving as president, Moon appointed Lee Sangjik, a former lawmaker of the Democratic Party, as chairman of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, and in return, Seo, the husband of Moon's daughter Da-hye, received preferential hiring at T'way Air in July of the same year.

Seo, who is the husband of former President Moon's daughter Da-hye, had previously worked at a gaming company but had no experience in the airline industry. Prosecutors believe that his appointment as an executive at the airline was ultimately due to former President Moon's appointment of Lee as chairman. Prosecutors assert that the 217 million won paid to Seo by the company after his employment, including salary and relocation expenses, constitutes the amount of the bribe.