First hearing preparation for former President Moon Jae-in's bribery charge

The first court proceedings regarding former President Moon Jae-in's bribery charges will begin at 2 PM on the 17th at the Seoul Central District Court.

The defense team has stated that former President Moon will not be present at this preliminary hearing presided over by the 21st Criminal Division (Chief Judge Lee Hyun-bok).

The preliminary hearing is a procedure to confirm the defendant's stance on the charges and establish a plan for future evidence collection before the formal trial, and the defendant is not required to attend.

It is expected that the issue of jurisdiction transfer requested by former President Moon's team on the 11th will also be addressed during the hearing.

Jurisdiction transfer request and the key issues of the bribery charge

Former President Moon's team has requested a transfer of the trial to the Ulsan District Court, which has jurisdiction over his residence.

The lawyer argued, "Given that the prosecution is raising issues about the president's comprehensive compensation relationships, it is not appropriate to use the fact that his official duty location is Seoul as a basis for jurisdiction," and requested consideration of the practical circumstances that make it difficult for the elderly former President Moon to attend the trial, which requires 8-10 hours of travel round trip with security personnel.

The elderly former President Moon faces practical difficulties in attending the trial, requiring 8-10 hours of round trip travel with security personnel.

The Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office indicted former President Moon on April 24 for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery) without detention at the Seoul Central District Court.

Lee Sang-jik, the founder of Eastar Jet, has also been indicted for bribery and breach of trust.

The prosecution believes that the salary and living expenses of over 200 million won that Seo, Moon's son-in-law, received from the overseas corporation Thai Eastar Jet correspond to bribery related to former President Moon.

Lee Sang-jik previously served as the chairman of the Small and Medium Business Corporation during the Moon Jae-in administration.

Meanwhile, the prosecution requested the merger of the case of former Chief of Staff for Personnel Cho Hyun-ok, which was prosecuted by the Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office last year and is currently under trial, with former President Moon's case. However, the 27th Criminal Division of the Central District Court (Chief Judge Woo In-sung), which is hearing the case of former Chief of Staff Cho, did not accept this request.

Image source: Former President Moon Jae-in / News1