Im Jong-seok, the former Presidential Chief of Staff during the Moon Jae-in administration, appeared before prosecutors on Tuesday, over his alleged involvement in the appointment of the head of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency(KOSME).

Im appeared at the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office at 1:30 p.m. for questioning, where he was reportedly questioned on whether he played a role in the appointment of Lee Sang-jik, founder of South Korea's budget airline Eastar Jet, as KOSME's head in 2018, and if former President Moon Jae-in's son-in-law was subsequently hired as an executive director at Thai Eastar Jet as a favor following Lee's appointment.

Speaking to reporters before the questioning, Im criticized the current administration for what he described as "excessive and political" investigations into the previous administration.

When asked about potential interference by the presidential office in the KOSME appointment, Im stated that the process followed standard presidential appointment procedures.

The investigation began after the ruling People Power Party(PPP) filed four related complaints between September 2020 and December 2021, claiming that Moon's former son-in-law was hired by the airline despite lacking relevant industry experience.