Unification Church Leader Arrested in South Korea Over Bribery Allegations

The 82-year-old leader of the Unification Church, Han Hak-ja, was arrested in South Korea early Tuesday over allegations of bribery linked to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's wife and a conservative lawmaker. The Seoul Central District Court approved investigators' request for an arrest warrant, citing Han posed a risk of destroying evidence.

Han, the widow of the church's founder Sun Myung Moon, has denied allegations that she directed church officials to bribe Kim Keon Hee, Yoon's wife, and lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong. The allegations against Han include directing the church to provide luxury gifts to Kim in exchange for favors for the church's business interests. Han was questioned for nearly 10 hours last week and maintained her innocence.

The Unification Church, founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, is known for its mass weddings and has faced criticism for its fundraising practices and cult-like culture. Han assumed leadership of the organization after Moon's death in 2012. The church criticized investigators' attempts to arrest Han, noting that she appeared for questioning while still recovering from a heart procedure earlier this month. They accused investigators of disrespecting an "internationally respected religious leader".

The investigation into Han is part of a broader probe into former President Yoon's presidency. Yoon faces separate trials for insurrection and other charges after being impeached and removed from office in April. His wife, Kim Keon Hee, is also under investigation for various criminal allegations, including bribery and stock manipulation. Kweon Seong-dong, a staunch Yoon loyalist, has denied receiving money from the church, despite allegations of receiving 100 million won ($71,800) in bribes.

Investigators also visited the headquarters of the conservative People Power Party to obtain documents related to claims that Unification Church members signed up en masse to boost Kweon's candidacy in the party's 2023 leadership race. The investigation into Kim Keon Hee is one of three special prosecutor probes launched under Seoul's new liberal government targeting Yoon's presidency. The other probes focus on Yoon's planning and execution of his short-lived martial law imposition on December 3 and his government's alleged cover-up of a marine's drowning death during a 2023 flood rescue operation.