Moon's Legal Team:
"The Prosecution's Indictment Is a Fiction Written Without Statements from the Parties Involved"
There have been reports that prosecutors, who have indicted former President Moon Jae-in on bribery charges, have determined that Moon received information on the scale of financial support related to his daughter Dahye and her husband's life in Thailand. In response, Moon's legal team rebutted on May 9, stating, "The prosecution's indictment is a work of fiction written without hearing any statements from the parties involved."
Yonhap News reported on May 10, based on the indictment for bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes submitted by the Ministry of Justice to the National Assembly. According to Yonhap News, prosecutors specified that "former President Moon, through the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs and the Special Inspection Team Leader at the Presidential Secretariat, received information from former lawmaker Lee Sangjik regarding the scale of economic support to be provided for future life in Thailand, including housing in Bangkok and international school information, and provided this information to Dahye and her husband, thereby assisting them throughout the relocation process."
Prosecutors found that former lawmaker Lee, who is accused of giving bribes, began actively supporting Dahye's relocation to Thailand after visiting the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs' office at the Blue House in April 2018, instructing company employees to look into international schools and housing in Bangkok.
According to the prosecution, the information Lee gathered was delivered to former President Moon through the Presidential Office, and subsequently, officials from the Presidential Office met with Dahye at restaurants and cafes in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to discuss matters related to her relocation to Thailand. During this process, the officials reportedly made it clear to Dahye that the provider of the financial support was former lawmaker Lee.
Prosecutors also determined that former President Moon and the Presidential Secretariat directly managed Dahye and her husband's social and income activities. The prosecution believes that between January and February 2018, when suspicions arose about Dahye's dual membership in the Democratic Party and the Justice Party, the Secretariat and the Office of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs met with Dahye, guided her through the process of leaving the Justice Party, and managed her future activities.
Prosecutors further stated that Dahye and her husband lived rent-free at former President Moon's private residence in Maegok-dong, Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do from May 2012 to April 2014, and that they relied on Moon's financial support, including receiving 90 million won when moving to a villa in Yangsan.
Moon's legal team strongly refuted the content of the indictment, stating, "The prosecution's indictment is a work of fiction written without hearing any statements from the parties involved." In a statement, the legal team said, "Former President Moon never received any reports from the Office of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs regarding his son-in-law's employment or the relocation to Thailand," and added, "It was within the normal scope of duties for the family affairs team to communicate with the son-in-law and his wife during the relocation process."
The Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office indicted former President Moon and former lawmaker Lee on April 24 at the Seoul Central District Court on charges of bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and bribery offering, respectively. Dahye and her former husband, Mr. Seo, were given suspended indictments.
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