The court handling the bribery and preferential hiring allegations against former President Moon Jae-in's son-in-law, Seo, has selected seven witnesses ahead of the trial.
The 21st Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, led by Judge Jo Soon-pyo, made this decision on the 25th during the sixth pre-trial hearing for Moon and former lawmaker Lee Sang-jik.
Pre-trial hearings are procedural discussions to outline evidence plans before the main trial, and defendants are not required to attend. Consequently, Moon was absent as he had traveled to Mongolia two days prior to attend the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar. In contrast, the incarcerated Lee attended the hearing in prison attire. Moon had also been absent from previous hearings, with only Lee present.
Moon's defense team criticized the prosecution's indictment process and investigation methods, requesting a revision of the indictment and a reduction in the number of witnesses.
Attorney Kim Young-sik stated, "The execution of warrants related to this case has reached an unprecedented 69 times, leading to excessive searches," and condemned the investigation as a "sweeping inquiry" that resorted to simple bribery charges after failing to prove more complex allegations, such as the appointment of Lee as chairman of the Small and Medium Business Corporation.
Attorney Kim Mi-kyung also pointed out inconsistencies in the indictment, noting that it claims Seo received a salary without working, while simultaneously stating he did not perform duties appropriate for his executive position, urging the prosecution to amend the indictment first.
In response, the prosecution argued, "The number of warrants appears high due to multiple verification locations, but they were lawfully issued by the court, and we conducted a restrained investigation." Regarding the witness requests, they stated, "It is necessary to prove the credibility of statements obtained during the investigation in court, and excluding some high-value evidence could excessively limit our ability to present our case."
After hearing both sides, the court accepted the defense's concerns, stating, "Given the current number of witnesses and evidence submitted, it is practically impossible to proceed with the trial." The court requested the prosecution to organize the indictment and witnesses and officially selected seven witnesses, including Seo, who were jointly requested by both parties. Previously, the prosecution had submitted a list of 113 witnesses and over 2,300 pieces of evidence to substantiate their claims.
However, after the prosecution protested, the court decided to grant each side an additional three priority witnesses, limiting the total number to a maximum of 13 to 15.
The court explained, "A jury trial with nine jurors cannot exceed two weeks due to legal and scheduling constraints," adding that considering the time needed for evidence examination and deliberation, the maximum number of witnesses that can be examined is around 15. They also noted that all defendants desire a jury trial, indicating a willingness to proceed with one if the number of witnesses can be sufficiently reduced.
Furthermore, the court mentioned that if a jury trial is realized, administrative procedures such as jury summons and courtroom arrangements would take at least two months, so they are considering a focused two-week hearing. This is due to the practical difficulty of extending a jury trial beyond three weeks. The court anticipates that if a jury trial occurs, it will take place in January of next year.
The court also outlined future schedules, stating that pre-trial procedures would occur every four weeks on September 22, October 20, and November 17, aiming to conclude the procedures by November.
Previously, the prosecution determined that the salary and housing expenses of Seo, amounting to over 200 million won, constituted bribery provided to Moon, leading to his indictment on bribery charges under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes last April.
Lee faces charges of breach of trust for hiring Seo as an executive at Thai Skyjet, causing damage to the company, as well as bribery for providing money under the guise of salary and housing expenses.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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