Former South Korean president Moon Jae-in has been indicted on corruption charges related to the employment of his son-in-law at a low-cost airline, prosecutors announced on Thursday. The Jeonju District Prosecutors’ Office said Moon allegedly received 217 million won, equivalent to around USD 150,000, in connection with facilitating the appointment of his son-in-law at Thai Eastar Jet. According to the prosecution, Moon’s son-in-law was named managing director at the airline despite having “no relevant experience or qualifications in the airline industry.” They added that he frequently neglected his duties, and suggested the appointment was an attempt by the airline, then under the influence of a former MP from Moon’s Democratic Party, to gain political favor. Investigators concluded that the salary and benefits he received between 2018 and 2020 were not legitimate earnings but constituted bribes intended for the president. The case comes as South Korea faces a turbulent political climate ahead of its June 3 elections, following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol for briefly imposing martial law last December. Yoon, now awaiting trial on insurrection charges, faces a potential life sentence or even the death penalty, though executions have not been carried out in South Korea since 1997. Moon, who held office from 2017 to 2022, was known for his progressive policies and efforts to promote dialogue with North Korea. He played a central role in facilitating talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then-U.S. President Donald Trump. His indictment adds to a long history of legal trouble for South Korea’s former presidents. Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye were both convicted of corruption and served prison terms, while Roh Moo-hyun, under whom Moon served as chief of staff, died by suicide in 2009 amid a corruption probe involving his family. Moon’s Democratic Party has strongly denounced the indictment, calling it politically driven. “The corruption charge is nothing more than a politically motivated move aimed at humiliating a former president,” said Park Kyung-mee, a party spokesperson. “So the salary paid to the son-in-law was a bribe to the president? Is this the best logic they could come up with after dragging the case out for four long years?” she said, accusing prosecutors of abusing their authority.