Moon Jae-in Requests Transfer of 'Bribery Trial' to Ulsan District Court, His Place of Residence

Seoul Central District Court Schedules Preparatory Hearing for June 17
Former Lawmaker Lee Sangjik Requests Transfer to Jeonju District Court

Former President Moon Jae-in, who has been indicted without detention on charges of bribery in connection with allegations of preferential employment at an airline involving his former son-in-law, has requested a change of venue so that his trial will be held at Ulsan District Court, which has jurisdiction over his place of residence.

According to the legal community on June 11, Moon's legal team submitted a petition for transfer to the Criminal Division 21 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Hyunbok), which is currently handling the case.

Moon's attorney stated, "Given that the prosecution is raising issues regarding the president's broad quid pro quo relationship, it is not appropriate to base jurisdiction on the fact that the president's official duties were carried out in Seoul. In addition, considering that former President Moon is elderly and would have difficulty traveling 8 to 10 hours round-trip with his security personnel to attend trial, we request that the case be transferred to the court with jurisdiction over his residence."

On the same day, Moon also submitted a power of attorney appointing a lawyer from Law Firm Busan, as well as a petition to change the date of the first preparatory hearing, which is currently scheduled for June 17. Law Firm Busan was established by former President Moon in 1995.

Lee Sangjik, the founder of Eastar Jet and a former lawmaker who was indicted alongside Moon on charges of offering bribes, submitted a similar petition to the same court last month requesting that his trial be held at Jeonju District Court.

According to Article 4 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which stipulates territorial jurisdiction of the court, the competent court is determined by the location of the crime, the defendant's address, residence, or current location. Former President Moon resides in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, while former lawmaker Lee is being held at Jeonju Detention Center.

On April 24, Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office indicted former President Moon and former lawmaker Lee at the Central District Court on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery) and on charges of offering bribes and breach of duty, respectively.

Moon's former son-in-law, identified as Mr. Seo, worked at Thai Eastar Jet, an overseas subsidiary of Eastar Jet, from August 2018 to March 2020, receiving approximately 210 million won in salary and housing expenses. Prosecutors believe this money constituted bribes given to former President Moon.

At the time, Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office stated, "Since the main location where the incident occurred is the Blue House in Jongno-gu, Seoul, we filed the indictment at Seoul Central District Court," explaining that the indictment was filed with the court that has jurisdiction over the crime scene.