Trial of Former President Moon Jae-in on Bribery Charges Resumes After 6 Months; Preparatory Hearings to Continue Next Month

The trial of former President Moon Jae-in, who was indicted on bribery charges related to the salary of his former son-in-law, has resumed after a six-month hiatus.

On July 14, the 21st Criminal Agreement Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Jo Sun-pyo) held the fifth preparatory hearing for the trial of former President Moon and former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik.

This marks the first hearing in approximately six months since the fourth preparatory hearing held in January. During the session, the court continued the process of screening evidence, as it had in previous preparatory hearings.

A preparatory hearing is a procedure to organize the positions of the prosecution and the defense and to discuss plans for presenting evidence before the formal trial begins. As the defendant is not required to attend, former President Moon did not appear in court, while former lawmaker Lee was present.

The court noted that both former President Moon and Lee had requested a jury trial, stating, "In principle, I believe we should proceed with a jury trial."

The court then requested that the prosecution and the defense attorneys reduce the number of witnesses, noting, "If there are 30 to 50 witnesses, it could be physically difficult to conduct a jury trial."

The court decided to hold one more preparatory hearing on August 25 to conclude the evidence screening process.

The prosecution indicted former President Moon in April of last year on charges of bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes, alleging that the approximately 200 million won in salary and housing expenses received by his former son-in-law, surnamed Seo, from the airline Thai Eastar Jet constituted a bribe to the former president.

Former lawmaker Lee faces charges of breach of trust for hiring Seo and causing losses to Thai Eastar Jet, as well as charges of offering a bribe in the form of salary and housing expenses.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.