Korean prosecutors summoned former president Moon Jae-in on

[Global Network Comprehensive Report] Yonhap News Agency quoted South Korean officials on March 28, saying that South Korean prosecutors have summoned former President Moon Jae-in on allegations of bribery. At present, the prosecutors are coordinating with Moon Jae-in's legal team on the time of interrogation. ​

Prior to that, the prefectural local procuratorial office had summoned Moon Jae-in as a suspect last month. Moon Jae-in and his daughter, Wen Duohui, were accused of accepting bribes in the form of salary and other payments from Thailand Istar Airlines. The object of the bribes was Xu, Moon Jae-in's former son-in-law. The prosecution believes that the salary of more than 200 million won (1000 won, about 5.3 yuan) earned by Mr. Xu during his tenure as an executive of Thailand Istar Airlines is a bribe accepted by Moon Jae-in. ​

According to the investigation by the prosecutor, former member of the Democratic Party, Lee Sang gil, offered a position at Thai Istar Airlines to Xu, who had no work experience in the aviation industry, and assisted Xu's family in relocating to Thailand in exchange for his own appointment after becoming the head of the South Korean Small and Medium Enterprises Revitalization Corporation in March 2018. ​

On March 25, Korean media reported that the prosecution investigating Moon Jae-in's suspected bribery had charged his daughter Wen Duohui with the same crime. On February 5th, Wen Duohui was also charged by the prosecutor on suspicion of drunk driving and illegal rental of a house. In the early morning of October 5, 2024, when Wen Duohui was driving in front of the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon, Longshan District, Seoul, when changing lanes, he collided with a taxi. After testing, his blood alcohol concentration reached 0.14%, far exceeding the standard for driving license suspension (above 0.08%). ​

As for the action of the prosecution, including Congressman Yin Jianyong, the members of the Common Democratic Party who worked in the Moon Jae-in government and the Blue House expressed strong opposition. In September last year, they held a press conference, accusing Moon Jae-in of having planned the investigation of the past two years from the beginning, with the aim of humiliating, torturing Moon Jae-in and listing him as the object of investigation, saying that this would not transfer the dissatisfaction of the masses with the current government. ​

At present, people from all walks of life are paying constant attention to how Moon Jae-in's legal team will respond to the prosecutor's summons and what impact this incident will have on the Korean political arena.