Court to decide whether to hold jury trial for ex-President Moon in November
Former President Moon Jae-in, right, and his wife, Kim Jung-sook, attend a book fair in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, Sept. 5. Yonhap
A Seoul court said Tuesday it will decide in November whether to accept former President Moon Jae-in's request to hold a jury trial for his bribery case.
Moon has been standing trial on charges of receiving 217 million won ($156,000) from former Rep. Lee Sang-jik in the form of a salary and living expenses for his then son-in-law, surnamed Seo, in exchange for Lee's appointment as head of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency.
Seo was hired by Thailand-based budget carrier Thai Eastar Jet, whose parent company Eastar Jet was founded by Lee.
During the trial's second preparatory hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, the bench said it will hold a third such hearing on Nov. 25 and decide then whether to hold a jury trial.
The decision will be based on a review of the selection of evidence and whether the number of witnesses can be reduced to seven or eight, it said.
The bench also rejected for the second time Moon's request to transfer his case to the district court in Ulsan, saying circumstances have not changed since June when it dismissed the request citing the need for both parties — the recipient and the donor — to be present in a bribery trial.
Ulsan is close to Moon's home in Yangsan.
Moon was absent from the hearing as his attendance was not required, unlike during the main trial. Lee, who is currently jailed in the southwestern city of Jeonju, was present.