Hak Ja Han, the 83-year-old leader of the Unification Church, was sentenced to two years in prison by a South Korean court for bribery and political funding offenses. The legal penalty stems from findings that church officials provided luxury items, including two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace valued at 80 million won ($57,900; £42,500), to Kim Keon Hee, the wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, in exchange for political and business favors.
Arrest and Court Proceedings in Seoul
The Seoul Central District Court approved an arrest warrant for Han, citing a risk of evidence destruction. Han was taken into custody following an hourslong hearing and awaited her verdict at a detention center near Seoul. Her two-year prison sentence was handed down on Monday. Throughout the proceedings, Han and her legal representatives denied the allegations, maintaining that she did not direct church officials to bribe the former first lady or conservative lawmakers.
Broader Political Investigations and Allegations
The case against Han forms part of a wider investigation launched by a special prosecutor team under South Korea’s liberal government, targeting the administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Investigators probed allegations that Unification Church members signed up en masse ahead of the conservative People Power Party’s 2023 leadership race to boost the candidacy of staunch Yoon loyalist Kweon Seong-dong. Kweon, who was arrested, has denied receiving 100 million won ($71,800) in bribes from the church. Former first lady Kim Keon Hee was previously sentenced to 20 months in jail earlier in the year for accepting bribes from the organization.
Church History and Global Context
The Unification Church, officially known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, was established in South Korea in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, who proclaimed himself the messiah. The international movement grew to include millions of followers and extensive business interests, becoming widely recognized for its large-scale mass weddings. In recent years, the organization has faced intense scrutiny globally, including calls for its dissolution in Japan following the assassination of former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, whose alleged attacker harbored grievances against the group over family financial ruin.
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