Former President Moon Jae-in, who has been indicted without detention on bribery charges in connection with allegations of preferential hiring at an airline involving his ex-son-in-law, applied for transfer to the court with jurisdiction, the Ulsan District Court, to undergo trial.
According to the legal community on the 11th, former President Moon's side submitted a transfer request to the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 21, presided over by Director General Lee Hyun-bok.
Former President Moon's lawyer noted, "In a situation where the prosecution is questioning the president's comprehensive quid pro quo relationship, it is inappropriate to cite the president's place of duty, Seoul, as a basis for jurisdiction, and considering that the elderly former president would have difficulty undergoing a trial due to a round trip of 8 to 10 hours with security personnel, please transfer the case to the court of residence."
Former President Moon also submitted a document appointing a lawyer from Busan Law Firm, which he established in 1995, along with a request to change the first pre-trial date set for the 17th.
Former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik, the founder of Eastar Jet, indicted on charges of bribery, submitted a request to the same court last month to have his trial held at the Jeonju District Court.
According to Article 4 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which stipulates land jurisdiction, the court of jurisdiction is determined by the location of the crime, the defendant's address, residence, or current location. Former President Moon resides in Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do, while the former lawmaker is currently incarcerated at Jeonju Correctional Facility.
The Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office indicted former President Moon and the former lawmaker on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (bribery) and offering bribes and breach of duty, respectively, on April 24.
Mr. Seo, the former president's ex-son-in-law, received approximately 210 million won in salary and housing expenses while working for Thai Eastar Jet, an overseas subsidiary of Eastar Jet, from August 2018 to March 2020, and the prosecution views this money as a bribe given to former President Moon.
At that time, the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office said, "The main occurrence of the case took place at the Blue House in Jongno-gu, Seoul, which is why it was indicted at the Seoul Central District Court," stating that the case was prosecuted at the court of crime jurisdiction.