Special prosecutor begins probe into Unification Church executives
SEOUL, July 9 (UPI) -- South Korea's special prosecutor has formally designated Hak‑ja Han, head of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, popularly known as the Unification Church, as a criminal suspect.
The office is extending its investigation to include allegations of bribery via a religious intermediary, embezzlement of church funds for casino gambling and interference in law enforcement.
Prosecutors allege that luxury goods -- including designer handbags and diamond jewelry -- were acquired to be given to the former First Lady Keon‑hee Kim, wife of the recently impeached former President Suk-yeol Yoon.
The items had been transferred through Seong‑bae Jeon, known as "Geonjin Beopsa," a spiritual adviser to the church. Investigators are working to establish whether directives came from senior church officials and if funds were misused for political influence.
The special prosecutor's office has announced that summonses will be issued soon to several senior Unification Church executives.
Among those investigators are set to question Young‑ho Yoon, former director-general of the church's world headquarters; Young-ho Yoon's wife, previously a leading figure in church finances; Won‑joo Jung, deputy director at the church's central Cheonmu Institute.
To date, no such individuals have been taken into custody or formally interviewed, but prosecutors have confirmed plans to bring them in for questioning as part of the unfolding inquiry.
A travel ban had been placed on all three. Won-joo Jung had been granted permission last month to visit her critically ill husband. However, to date, she has not yet returned to Korea.
Financial audit teams uncovered records indicating that church donations -- totaling tens of billions of Korean won -- were allegedly used for gambling at Las Vegas casinos, dating from 2008 through earlier this year. Investigators traced rewards‑club reports reflecting substantial bets and gaming sessions attributed to church figures.
Prosecutors are also probing whether the church attempted to obstruct a separate police investigation into this gambling activity. Authorities executed search and seizure operations July 8, seeking internal communications that could demonstrate exertion of political pressure or bribery to obstruct the earlier inquiry.
This probe spans multiple suspected criminal offenses: illicit transfer of luxury goods as political bribes, embezzlement of church funds for gambling, obstruction of justice through interference with police investigations, and potential collusion involving religious leaders, former police officials and political intermediaries.
The formal opening of a criminal case into Hak‑ja Han marks a pivotal escalation in this investigation. As summonses to key church figures draw closer and forensic evidence continues to accumulate, questions are mounting about the church's financial and political entanglements.
This case has generated intense interest in the Korea media over past several months. It represents one of the most high-stakes probes into religious-political influence in South Korea, raising significant questions about institutional transparency and accountability.
Earlier this year, the Tokyo District Court issued an order for the dissolution of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in Japan -- formerly called Unification Church Japan.
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