Ex-First Lady Bribery Probe Targets South Korea Church Head
Unification Church head grilled over gifts to Yoon's wife.
In a dramatic escalation of South Korea's political scandals, Hak Ja Han, the influential leader of the Unification Church and widow of its founder Sun Myung Moon, appeared before special prosecutors on September 17, 2025, for questioning over allegations that the church bribed the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and a close ally lawmaker to secure business favors. Han's arrival in Seoul came mere hours after a court greenlit the arrest of People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, a Yoon loyalist, amid fears he might tamper with evidence.
The probe, spearheaded by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki, zeroes in on claims that the church exploited Kim Keon Hee's influence—now Yoon's jailed wife—to advance interests like a Cambodia development project. Han, who dodged three prior summons citing health issues after a recent heart procedure, brushed off reporters with a curt "Later, later," as aides steadied her en route to the investigators' office. Her church insists no direct involvement, pinning the alleged bribes—luxury gifts from a now-imprisoned ex-official—on the man's rogue actions.
Kweon, whose parliamentary immunity was stripped by the liberal-led National Assembly last Thursday, vehemently denies pocketing church funds. The scandal ties into broader turmoil from Yoon's ouster in April and re-arrest in July over his botched December 2024 martial law bid, which has ensnared dozens in indictments for rebellion, document tampering, and perjury.
Also Read: Japan and South Korea Clash at UN Over Wartime Sexual Slavery
Kim Keon Hee, indicted last month and behind bars, faces charges including accepting high-end presents funneled through a fortuneteller linked to the church official, plus a stock manipulation plot involving a BMW dealership. Investigators further allege that Yoon and Kim meddled in the conservative party's 2022 by-election candidate selection at the behest of broker Myung Tae-kyun, who stands accused of rigging opinion polls to propel Yoon's presidential primary win.
This Unification Church inquiry forms one prong of three special probes under the new liberal administration dissecting Yoon's scandal-plagued three-year tenure. Other threads include the martial law fiasco—implicating ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun in troop deployments to thwart lawmakers—and a cover-up of a marine's 2023 flood rescue death. Former PM Han Duck-soo dodged jail but was charged with aiding the martial law push, falsifying records, and perjuring himself. Over 60 others face rioting charges from a chaotic Seoul court clash during Yoon's initial January arrest.
As Han's questioning unfolds—without word on potential arrest—the case underscores the Unification Church's shadowy entanglements in Korean power plays, casting a long shadow over Yoon's fallen regime.
Also Read: U.S., South Korea, Japan Launch Freedom Edge Military Drills
