The Herald Insight
May 22, 3026
On April 28, 2026, the Seoul High Court extended the prison sentence for former First Lady Kim Keon-hee to four years on corruption charges for accepting luxury gifts allegedly provided by the Unification Church in exchange for political favors.
The ruling has intensified an ongoing investigation into allegations that the church sought to expand its political influence through donations, lobbying, and development projects connected to South Korean politicians and government institutions.
In its decision, the court stated that the political funds involved in the case “exceeded the significance of simple support for political activities” and were provided as a means for a specific religious organization to gain access to political power.
Following the verdict, prosecutors expanded their investigation into the church’s financial activities during the 2022 presidential and local elections.
Investigators alleged that the church, led by Hak Ja Han, funneled nearly 144 million won in "split" donations through district chiefs to members of the People Power Party to secure favorable political support.
High-ranking church officials, including a former chairman of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF), were later summoned and put on trial for allegedly directing corporate funds to support political committees linked to 11 different lawmakers.
Lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong of the People Power Party faced intense scrutiny over his attendance at church-sponsored rallies and the receipt of support from UPF members during key election cycles.
Meanwhile, Jeon Jae-soo of the Democratic Party was also flagged for his participation in church-linked "Peace Ambassador" ceremonies.
However, prosecutors stated that they could not confirm whether gifts linked to Jeon exceeded the legal threshold of 30 million won because of insufficient evidence.
Investigators concluded that the statute of limitations had expired, and the court ultimately found Jeon not guilty.
These acts of lobbying towards political members in the National Assembly highlight the existing politicalization of religion and questionable corruption in the South Korean political space.
The scrutiny soon expanded into the church's economic operations.
In early March 2026, a civil oversight report questioned massive land developments in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, for potential violations and administrative favoritism.
The report alleged that the church leveraged its political influence to bypass mandatory environmental impact assessments.
According to standard economic evaluations, when a religious entity receives public infrastructure support, the social cost must be factored into the evaluation, but the report indicated that these figures were omitted to maintain an illusion of profitability.
In response to the escalating allegations, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification denied wrongdoing and stated that its political activities were legitimate civic engagement efforts.
The organization also argued that donations connected to the investigation were voluntary actions by individual members rather than coordinated institutional activities.
Ultimately, the South Korean public is witnessing a fierce debate over whether to reform the "Religious Corporation Act" to prevent religious wealth from influencing political processes.
With the political space’s heated debate regarding the utilization of a Special Counsel to investigate this politicization of religion, the future of the Unification Church's influence now rests on whether the National Assembly will address the group's proximity to power to satisfy a skeptical and demanding public.
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