Unification Church leader questioned in probe of alleged bribery of South Korea's former first lady

Hak Ja Han, leader of the Unification Church, was questioned Wednesday by a special prosecution team investigating allegations that the church bribed the wife of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol and a conservative lawmaker to secure business favors.

Han appeared for questioning hours after a Seoul court issued an arrest warrant for People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, citing concerns he might destroy evidence. Investigators are probing whether the church sought to leverage the influence of Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee, while pursuing various business interests, including a development project in Cambodia.

Han, the widow of church founder Sun Myung Moon and the highest-ranking figure in the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, had previously declined three summonses from the special prosecution team, citing health reasons after a heart procedure on Sept. 4. Church officials said she appeared Wednesday out of respect for legal procedures. As she arrived, Han told reporters, "Later, later," and declined further comment.

The special prosecutor’s office, led by Min Joong-ki, has not said whether it will seek Han’s arrest. The probe centers on claims that Kim received luxury gifts via a fortuneteller who acted as an intermediary for a jailed Unification Church official. That official is accused of exceeding his authority; the church denies it was directly involved and says the person acted on his own.

Kweon, a staunch Yoon loyalist, has denied receiving money from the church. Prosecutors sought the arrest warrant for Kweon this week, saying investigators feared he might destroy evidence. South Korea’s liberal-led legislature moved Thursday to lift Kweon’s immunity to arrest, clearing the way for further legal action.

Kim was jailed and indicted last month on multiple allegations, including accepting luxury gifts and potential involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme tied to a local BMW dealership. Investigators have also examined whether Kim and Yoon exerted undue influence on the conservative People Power Party to nominate a specific candidate in a 2022 legislative by-election at the behest of an election broker, Myung Tae-kyun. Myung is accused of providing manipulated opinion surveys that may have aided Yoon in securing his party’s presidential nomination.

The inquiry into the Unification Church is part of a broader set of special prosecutor investigations launched under South Korea’s liberal government targeting aspects of Yoon’s presidency. Yoon was removed from office in April, re-arrested in July and later indicted on charges including rebellion tied to his brief imposition of martial law in December. Dozens of people have been arrested or investigated in connection with the martial law episode, alleged corruption involving Yoon’s wife, and other controversies from his three years in office.

Key figures implicated in separate probes include former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, accused of planning martial law with Yoon and of mobilizing troops to the National Assembly, and former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was indicted for abetting the imposition of martial law and for falsifying and destroying official documents and lying under oath. More than 60 people have been separately indicted for rioting at a Seoul court that issued the warrant leading to Yoon’s first arrest in January.

The Unification Church, founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon and reported to have millions of members worldwide, has long been a polarizing force in South Korea. Its public profile has included large mass wedding ceremonies and conservative social values, and it has faced scrutiny in the past over its fundraising and political activities.

Investigators continue to question witnesses and gather evidence as the special prosecutor’s office pursues multiple strands of the wider corruption and abuse-of-power inquiries tied to the former presidency. Prosecutors have not released a timetable for concluding the questioning of Han or for deciding whether to seek her arrest.