Prosecutors Decide Not to Indict Moon Seok-jin, Seodaemun District Mayor, on 'Hiring Corruption' Allegations

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] Moon Seok-jin (65), the mayor of Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, who was suspected of involvement in civil servant recruitment, has been cleared of charges.

On the 30th, according to the prosecution, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office decided not to indict Mayor Moon, who was booked on charges related to recruitment corruption, at the end of last month.

Earlier, Seo, a policy advisor of Seodaemun-gu, recommended an acquaintance, Mr. A, to Mayor Moon during the recruitment of a 'Da' grade (equivalent to grade 7) part-time fixed-term civil servant in 2015, raising suspicions that Mayor Moon was involved in the hiring process. It was reported that Mayor Moon told Hwang, then the director of the Environmental Bureau, to "proceed with the recruitment after consulting with Seo."

Subsequently, when Mr. A's score ranked second out of five candidates in the final interview, which was within the failing range, Hwang manipulated the interview scores by lowering the top candidate's score and raising Mr. A's score, resulting in Mr. A's final acceptance.

Upon receiving such a report, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission requested a police investigation. The police forwarded the case to the prosecution at the end of August, recommending indictment of Mayor Moon, Seo, and Hwang on charges including abuse of authority and obstruction of business.

The prosecution judged that there was no evidence that Mayor Moon improperly intervened in Mr. A's recruitment process. However, Seo was charged with instigating obstruction of official duties through deception, and Hwang was charged with violating the Local Public Officials Act, leading to their prosecution.

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