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🇰🇷 South Korea /Crime & Justice

Ex-Police Chief Appears for Probe into Unification Church Investigation Suppression

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Former Police Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun appeared before a special prosecutor for questioning regarding allegations of suppressing an investigation into the Unification Church.
  • The investigation focuses on whether police failed to properly investigate alleged overseas gambling by Unification Church leaders and if there was any leak of information or suppression of the probe.
  • Yoon Hee-keun denied all allegations, stating he had no knowledge of the Unification Church matter during his tenure.

Former Police Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun appeared before a special prosecutor's team on Tuesday to be questioned as a suspect in allegations of suppressing an investigation into the Unification Church.

The special prosecution team is investigating whether police mishandled a tip about alleged overseas gambling by Unification Church leaders, including its founder Han Hak-ja, and whether there was any suppression of the probe or leak of information from the police leadership. The Unification Church leaders are accused of gambling approximately 60 billion won at casinos in Las Vegas between 2008 and 2011.

I have never heard anything related to the Unification Church until I retired.

— Yoon Hee-keunThe former Police Commissioner General's denial of any knowledge of the Unification Church investigation.

The special prosecution team is also looking into whether information about the alleged gambling and the investigation was passed to outsiders, including People Power Party lawmaker Kwak Sang-do. Reports indicate that the previous special prosecution team had secured evidence suggesting Kwak Sang-do informed former Unification Church World Headquarters head Yoon Young-ho in October 2022 that police were looking into the alleged gambling and that a search and seizure operation was possible.

I was not even a police commissioner then, and after becoming commissioner, I did not receive any reports or issue any related instructions.

— Yoon Hee-keunYoon Hee-keun's statement regarding his non-involvement in the alleged suppression of the Unification Church investigation.

In response to these allegations, Yoon Hee-keun vehemently denied any wrongdoing. "I have never heard anything related to the Unification Church until I retired," he stated upon arriving at the special prosecutor's office. "I was not even a police commissioner then, and after becoming commissioner, I did not receive any reports or issue any related instructions."

He further emphasized his lack of involvement, stating, "I have never heard the word 'Unification' related to the Unification Church until the day I retired." The special prosecution team had previously conducted searches and seizures at the National Police Agency, Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, and Chuncheon Police Station in April in connection with this case.

I have never heard the word 'Unification' related to the Unification Church until the day I retired.

— Yoon Hee-keunYoon Hee-keun's strong denial of any connection to the Unification Church matter.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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