Transfer Request by Former Lawmaker Lee Sangjik Also Denied
Court Cites Considerations for Prompt and Fair Trial
The court has denied former President Moon Jaein's request to transfer his bribery trial to a different jurisdiction. As a result, the trial will continue to be held at the Seoul Central District Court as previously scheduled.
Former President Moon Jaein is speaking as he meets Woo Wonsik, Speaker of the National Assembly, at the National Assembly on the 25th. On this day, former President Moon visited the National Assembly for the first time since his retirement to attend the 7th anniversary ceremony of the Panmunjom Declaration. 2025.4.25 National Assembly Press Photographers Group Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group
The Criminal Agreement Division 21 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Hyunbok) held the first preparatory hearing for the bribery charges against former President Moon and former National Assembly member Lee Sangjik this afternoon and made this decision.
The court stated, "Since this case involves so-called counterpart offenses for both defendants, there is a need for a unified judgment. Transferring the case to either Ulsan or Jeonju would not achieve the intended purpose of the request, thus raising questions about its effectiveness. In practical terms, considering the court's trial facilities, support infrastructure, and media accessibility, it is appropriate to proceed with the trial at the Seoul Central District Court to ensure a prompt and fair trial." A counterpart offense is a crime that requires the involvement of two or more parties acting in concert, with the legal definition of the crime itself necessitating the existence of a counterpart.
Previously, former President Moon and former lawmaker Lee had each requested the transfer of their cases to the Ulsan District Court and Jeonju District Court, respectively. Moon's defense argued, "Given that the prosecution is raising issues regarding the president's broad quid pro quo relationship, it is inappropriate to use the fact that the president's official duties were carried out in Seoul as the basis for jurisdiction. Please consider that it would be difficult for the elderly former president to travel round-trip for 8 to 10 hours with security personnel to attend trial," explaining the reason for the transfer request.
On this day, Moon's legal team stated, "We intended to express our opinion on a jury trial once the transfer issue was resolved, but since the court has decided to dismiss the transfer request, we now state that, like former lawmaker Lee, we also wish to have a jury trial." On June 2, former lawmaker Lee submitted a request to the court expressing his desire for a jury trial.
On April 24, the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office indicted former President Moon without detention at the Seoul Central District Court on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery). Lee Sangjik, the founder of Eastar Jet, was also indicted on charges of offering bribes and breach of trust in the course of duty.
The prosecution determined that approximately 200 million won in salary and housing expenses received by Mr. Seo, who was former President Moon’s son-in-law, from the airline Thai Eastar Jet, constituted bribes to former President Moon. Thai Eastar Jet is an overseas corporate entity of Eastar Jet, which was effectively owned by former lawmaker Lee. During the Moon Jaein administration, Lee served as chairman of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency.
Meanwhile, former President Moon did not attend the hearing on this day. The preparatory hearing is a procedure held before the formal trial to confirm the defendant's position regarding the charges and to plan the examination of evidence, and the defendant is not required to appear.
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