Special prosecutor begins probe into Unification Church executives
SEOUL, July 9 (UPI) -- South Korea's special prosecutor has formally designated Hak‑ja Han, head of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, popularly known as the Unification Church, as a criminal suspect.
The office is extending its investigation to include allegations of bribery via a religious intermediary, embezzlement of church funds for casino gambling and interference in law enforcement.
Prosecutors allege that luxury goods -- including designer handbags and diamond jewelry -- were acquired to be given to the former First Lady Keon‑hee Kim, wife of the recently impeached former President Suk-yeol Yoon.
The items had been transferred through Seong‑bae Jeon, known as "Geonjin Beopsa," a spiritual adviser to the church. Investigators are working to establish whether directives came from senior church officials and if funds were misused for political influence.
The special prosecutor's office has announced that summonses will be issued soon to several senior Unification Church executives.
Among those investigators are set to question Young‑ho Yoon, former director-general of the church's world headquarters; Young-ho Yoon's wife, previously a leading figure in church finances; Won‑joo Jung, deputy director at the church's central Cheonmu Institute.
To date, no such individuals have been taken into custody or formally interviewed, but prosecutors have confirmed plans to bring them in for questioning as part of the unfolding inquiry.
A travel ban had been placed on all three. Won-joo Jung had been granted permission last month to visit her critically ill husband. However, to date, she has not yet returned to Korea.
Financial audit teams uncovered records indicating that church donations -- totaling tens of billions of Korean won -- were allegedly used for gambling at Las Vegas casinos, dating from 2008 through earlier this year. Investigators traced rewards‑club reports reflecting substantial bets and gaming sessions attributed to church figures.
Prosecutors are also probing whether the church attempted to obstruct a separate police investigation into this gambling activity. Authorities executed search and seizure operations July 8, seeking internal communications that could demonstrate exertion of political pressure or bribery to obstruct the earlier inquiry.
This probe spans multiple suspected criminal offenses: illicit transfer of luxury goods as political bribes, embezzlement of church funds for gambling, obstruction of justice through interference with police investigations, and potential collusion involving religious leaders, former police officials and political intermediaries.
The formal opening of a criminal case into Hak‑ja Han marks a pivotal escalation in this investigation. As summonses to key church figures draw closer and forensic evidence continues to accumulate, questions are mounting about the church's financial and political entanglements.
This case has generated intense interest in the Korea media over past several months. It represents one of the most high-stakes probes into religious-political influence in South Korea, raising significant questions about institutional transparency and accountability.
Earlier this year, the Tokyo District Court issued an order for the dissolution of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in Japan -- formerly called Unification Church Japan.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
Failed GOP candidate gets 80 yrs for shooting at political adversaries
Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A failed GOP candidate in New Mexico has been sentenced to 80 years behind bars for orchestrating a shooting spree targeting his perceived political adversaries following his defeat in the 2022 midterm elections, which he believed was rigged against him. Solomon Pena, 42, was sentenced Wednesday, to 960 months in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release, the Justice Department said in a statement. "Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections," U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison said. "This sentence shows that through the tireless work of our agents and prosecutors, we will protect our democracy and bring offenders to justice." A federal jury convicted Pena in March of one count of conspiracy, four counts of intimidation and interference with federally protected activities and several firearms charges, as well as three counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence. Pena ran as a Republican for the District 14 seat in the New Mexico House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections, and was handily defeated by Democrat Miguel Garcia, who secured 74% of the vote. "I never conceded my HD 14 race," he said in a statement published to what was then called Twitter, now X, following the election, with a picture of himself wearing a red "Make America Great Again" sweatshirt and flags supporting Donald Trump's 2024 re-election campaign. "Now researching my options," he said. Following the election, the failed political candidate cried foul and was accused of pressuring members of the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners not to certify the results. Authorities said he had visited several of their homes to lodge complaints over voter fraud and election rigging. When they did not acquiesce to his demands, Pena turned violent. Shortly after he visited the commissioners, several of their homes were shot at between Dec. 4, 2022, and Jan. 3, 2023 -- specifically, the home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa on Dec. 4, New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martinez on Dec. 8, former Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O'Malley on Dec. 11 and State Sen. Linda Lopez on Jan. 3. Pena was arrested mid-January 2023 amid a hunt for a suspect. Inside his vehicle, authorities found two guns, 800 fentanyl pills and cash. Federal prosecutors said the shootings were the product of a conspiracy involving four men Pena paid to shoot up their houses. The prosecutors also said that while in jail, he tried to solicit inmates to murder witnesses to prevent their testimony during his trial. Two co-conspirators -- Jose Trujillo and Demetrio Trujillo -- previously pleaded guilty to their involvement in the crime, with the former being sentenced to 37 months in prison and the latter, 180 months.
3 hours ago
Powerful sister of North Korean leader denies removal of front-line speakers
SEOUL, South Korea -- The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday dismissed South Korean claims that the North is removing some of its loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border, mocking the government in Seoul for clinging to hopes of renewed diplomacy between the war-divided rivals. South Korea's military said over the weekend that it had detected the North removing some of its loudspeakers, days after the South dismantled its own front-line speakers used for anti-North propaganda broadcasts in a bid to ease tensions. Kim Yo Jong reiterated previous North Korean statements that it has no immediate interest in reviving long-stalled negotiations with Washington and Seoul, citing an upcoming joint military exercise between the allies as proof of their continued hostility toward Pyongyang. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff did not disclose where it spotted the North removing some of its speakers. The North Korean speakers that have been visible from civilian-accessible border areas in the South were still seen by Associated Press photojournalists after the military's announcement. During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, South Korea's new liberal President Lee Jae Myung described the North's alleged steps as a 'reciprocal measure' and expressed hope the Koreas could 'gradually reopen dialogue and communication.' Kim accused Lee's government of misleading the public, saying that North Koreans 'have never removed loudspeakers installed on the border area and are not willing to remove them.' When asked about Kim's comments, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson, Col. Lee Sung Joon, maintained that the South's military had confirmed the removal of some North Korean speakers and cautioned against 'being easily swayed' by North Korean statements with political intent. 'It has always been the case that North Korea often makes claims that aren't true,' he said. South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said in a statement that Seoul will continue to pursue 'sustained steps' to improve relations but acknowledged that the process will require patience. Kim Yo Jong also dismissed South Korean media speculation that the North may use this week's planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump to convey a message to Washington via Moscow. "Why should we send a message to the U.S. side," she said, adding that the North has no interest in talks with the Americans. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, North Korea has made Russia the priority of its foreign policy and has sent thousands of troops and large supplies of military equipment, including artillery and missiles, to help fuel Russia's war. North Korean and Russian state media said Wednesday that Kim Jong Un and Putin held a phone call to discuss their deepening ties and war efforts against Ukraine. Russia's TASS news agency said Putin also shared with Kim information about his upcoming talks with Trump in Alaska on Friday, but the North Korean reports did not mention the Trump meeting. Kim Yo Jong had also released statements in July dismissing Washington and Seoul's stated desires to restart diplomacy aimed at defusing the North's nuclear program, which derailed in 2019 following a collapsed summit between her brother and Trump during his first term. In recent months, South Korean border residents have complained that North Korean speakers blasted irritating sounds, including howling animals and pounding gongs, in a tit-for-tat response to South Korean propaganda broadcasts. The South Korean military said the North stopped its broadcasts in June, after Lee ordered to halt South's broadcasts in his government's first concrete step toward easing tensions between the war-divided rivals. The South's military began removing its speakers from border areas last week but did not say if they would be redeployed if tensions flared again. North Korea, extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its third-generation ruler, had seen South Korea's anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts as a major provocation. The South's previous conservative government resumed daily loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year, following a yearslong pause, in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South. The speakers blasted propaganda messages and K-pop songs, a playlist designed to strike a nerve in Pyongyang, where Kim Jong Un has been pushing to eliminate the influence of South Korean pop culture and language among the population, in part of attempts to strengthen his family's dynastic rule. The psychological warfare campaigns further heightened tensions already inflamed by North Korea's advancing nuclear program and South Korean efforts to expand joint military exercises with the United States and their trilateral security cooperation with Japan. Lee, who took office in June after winning an early election to replace ousted conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, wants to improve relations with Pyongyang, which reacted furiously to Yoon's hard-line policies. Experts, however, say the North clearly feels no urgency to resume diplomacy with South Korea and the U.S. anytime soon and remains focused on its alignment with Russia. annual combined U.S.-South Korean military exercises that start Aug. 18.
NBC News
3 hours ago
- NBC News
Powerful sister of North Korean leader denies removal of front-line speakers
SEOUL, South Korea — The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday dismissed South Korean claims that the North is removing some of its loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border, mocking the government in Seoul for clinging to hopes of renewed diplomacy between the war-divided rivals. South Korea 's military said over the weekend that it had detected the North removing some of its loudspeakers, days after the South dismantled its own front-line speakers used for anti-North propaganda broadcasts in a bid to ease tensions. Kim Yo Jong reiterated previous North Korean statements that it has no immediate interest in reviving long-stalled negotiations with Washington and Seoul, citing an upcoming joint military exercise between the allies as proof of their continued hostility toward Pyongyang. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff did not disclose where it spotted the North removing some of its speakers. The North Korean speakers that have been visible from civilian-accessible border areas in the South were still seen by AP photojournalists after the military's announcement. During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, South Korea's new liberal president, Lee Jae Myung, described the North's alleged steps as a 'reciprocal measure' and expressed hope that the Koreas could 'gradually reopen dialogue and communication.' Kim accused Lee's government of misleading the public, saying that North Koreans 'have never removed loudspeakers installed on the border area and are not willing to remove them.' When asked about Kim's comments, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson, Col. Lee Sung Joon, maintained that the South's military had confirmed the removal of some North Korean speakers and cautioned against 'being easily swayed' by North Korean statements with political intent. 'It has always been the case that North Korea often makes claims that aren't true,' he said. Kim also dismissed South Korean media speculation that the North may use this week's planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump to convey a message to Washington via Moscow. 'Why should we send a message to the U.S. side?' she said, adding that the North has no interest in talks with the Americans. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, North Korea has made Russia the priority of its foreign policy and has sent thousands of troops and large supplies of military equipment, including artillery and missiles, to help fuel Russia's war. North Korean and Russian state media said Wednesday that Kim Jong Un and Putin held a phone call to discuss their deepening ties and war efforts against Ukraine. Russia's TASS news agency said Putin also shared with Kim information about his upcoming talks with Trump in Alaska on Friday, but the North Korean reports did not mention the Trump meeting. Kim Yo Jong had also released statements in July dismissing Washington and Seoul's stated desires to restart diplomacy aimed at defusing the North's nuclear program, which derailed in 2019 following a collapsed summit with Trump during his first term. In recent months, South Korean border residents have complained that North Korean speakers blasted irritating sounds, including howling animals and pounding gongs, in a tit-for-tat response to South Korean propaganda broadcasts. The South Korean military said the North stopped its broadcasts in June, after Lee ordered a halt in the South's broadcasts in his government's first concrete step toward easing tensions between the war-divided rivals. The South's military began removing its speakers from border areas last week but did not say if they would be redeployed if tensions flared again. North Korea, extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its third-generation ruler, had seen South Korea's anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts as a major provocation. The South's previous conservative government resumed daily loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year, following a yearslong pause, in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South. The speakers blasted propaganda messages and K-pop songs, a playlist designed to strike a nerve in Pyongyang, where Kim Jong Un has been pushing to eliminate the influence of South Korean pop culture and language among the population as part of efforts to strengthen his family's dynastic rule. The psychological warfare campaigns further heightened tensions already inflamed by North Korea's advancing nuclear program and South Korean efforts to expand joint military exercises with the United States and their trilateral security cooperation with Japan.
