Korean court convicts Unification Church leader in political influence-buying scheme

A Seoul court has found Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja guilty of approving a lobbying operation that offered money and gifts to political figures, including former first lady Kim Keon-hee.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Han to one year for violating the Political Funds Act and another year for violations involving improper solicitation, graft and embezzlement. The two-year sentence fell well short of the 13 years sought by the special counsel team, but the ruling accepted the prosecution’s central account of organized lobbying within the church.

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Yun presented the Chanel bag and other items to Kim [Keon-hee] during a morning assembly with Han’s approval. We can acknowledge that these gifts were given to request favors related to the Unification Church’s projects.

The court found that church officials gave Kim gifts worth 80 million won, or about $58,250, including a Chanel handbag, between April and July 2022, shortly after President Yoon Suk-yeol took office. “Yun presented the Chanel bag and other items to Kim [Keon-hee] during a morning assembly with Han’s approval. We can acknowledge that these gifts were given to request favors related to the Unification Church’s projects,” the court said.

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Yun informed Han that he was to have lunch with Kweon, after which Han asked Jeong to bring 100 million won and hand it to Yun.

Han also approved a 100 million-won political payment to former People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, the court found. “Yun informed Han that he was to have lunch with Kweon, after which Han asked Jeong to bring 100 million won and hand it to Yun,” the ruling said. Han’s second-in-command, Jeong Won-ju, received a 16-month suspended sentence, while former global headquarters director-general Yun Young-ho received six months in prison.

The court acquitted Han on embezzlement charges tied to donations to the People Power Party, citing difficulties proving unlawful intent. It also dismissed allegations that she ordered evidence destroyed in connection with suspected overseas gambling trips, finding that those charges fell outside the special counsel’s investigative mandate. The church said it would immediately appeal, citing errors in the court’s factual and legal findings.

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To correct the errors in factual findings and legal judgments.