South Korean prosecutors to question former presidential office official over preferential hiring allegations against former President Moon's son-in-law

South Korean prosecutors are moving to have a former presidential administrative official testify before the trial in connection with allegations that former President Moon Jae-in's son-in-law, Seo, was given preferential treatment by an airline.
The questioning, scheduled to take place within the coming week, is aimed at clarifying allegations that a former administrative official with experience managing the president's relatives was involved in the recruitment of Seo.
According to a Korean legal source on the 5th, the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office Criminal Division 3 will hold a pretrial hearing at the Seoul Southern District Court on the 9th to hear from former Presidential Office Administrator Shin.
The plan is to secure the testimony of the main witness. Pretrial examination is a procedure carried out before a trial if the main witness refuses to appear before the prosecution.
Shin, who is now in politics, helped Moon's daughter Da-hye move to Thailand in 2018.
Prosecutors plan to question Shin about how the presidential office helped Seo get a job at Thai Eastar Jet and helped Da-hye and her husband move overseas.
The prosecution had initially planned to conduct the questioning on the 26th of last month, but the date was postponed after Shin submitted a statement of reasons for his absence.
Several people involved in the incident, including Moon, former National Assembly member Lee Sang-jik, Thai Eastar Jet CEO Park Seok-ho, and former presidential office chief personnel officer Cho Hyun-ok, were arrested.
A notice of the hearing date has been sent. Meanwhile, it was revealed that Rep. Lee Former filed a request for a video trial with the court on the 27th of last month. Rep. Lee, who is currently serving a prison sentence in connection with the "East Asia Airlines Embezzellement and Breach of Trust Case,"
He is scheduled to participate via live broadcast from Jeonju Prison. Moon plans not to testify as a witness. As this is a procedure to guarantee the suspect's right to defense, Moon and others will not be questioned or appear in court.
Moon's side, who received the notice to appear, concluded that the investigation itself was unjust and that it would be inappropriate for him to respond to the prosecutors' request for witness questioning.
On the 30th of last month, the prosecution carried out a search and seizure of Da-hye's residence and her villa on Cheju Island. They are currently analyzing the evidence. Depending on the results, they may decide to question Da-hye as a witness.
The government plans to consider whether this is possible.