Former President Moon Jae-in said it is absurd and preposterous that the prosecution indicted him over alleged preferential treatment of his former son-in-law when the latter was hired by a domestic low-cost carrier.

Democratic Party(DP) Rep. Youn Kun-young, who sits on the party's committee on measures against suppression of the former administration, delivered Moon's position on Thursday during a press conference.

According to the lawmaker, Moon said his indictment was retaliatory following the indictment and impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over martial law.

Moon, who pledged to reveal the truth in court while casting light on the prosecution's abuse of its investigative authority, also intends to file a criminal complaint and make use of the opportunity for prosecutorial reform.

Earlier, the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office indicted Moon without pretrial detention on charges of bribery in relation to violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

Prosecutors suspect that budget carrier Thai Eastar Jet's hiring of Moon's then-son-in-law, identified by his surname Seo, was linked to the appointment of Lee Sang-jik, Eastar Jet founder who also established the Thai airline, as head of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency in 2018.