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Dec 31, 2025

Police Raid Ex-Unification Church Official's Home in Bribery Probe

Statute of Limitations Nears for Democratic Party Lawmaker's 2018 Bribery Case Involving 20M Won and Watch

Lee Gi-woo
Chosun Daily 
December 31, 2025

Police investigating allegations of bribery involving the Unification Church raided the home of Jeong Won-ju, former secretary-general to the Unification Church’s former president, on the 31st. The National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation, leading the dedicated Unification Church probe, confirmed the raid at Jeong’s residence in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province.

한학자 통일교 총재의 전 비서실장 정원주씨가 28일 오전 서울 서대문구 경찰청 중대범죄수사과로 조사를 받기 위해 출석하고 있다. 2025.12.28/뉴스1 ⓒ News1 김진환 기자

The raid aimed to secure evidence related to allegations that Chun Jae-soo, Democratic Party lawmaker, received 20 million Korean won in cash and one luxury watch from the Unification Church around 2018.

Police had charged Jeong in early 2019 for allegedly providing illegal political funds to lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties and referred the case to prosecutors. However, they had not charged the lawmaker involved. On the day of the raid, Jeong was treated as a reference person, not a suspect.

In the afternoon, police conducted a second raid on the office of Min Joong-ki’s special prosecutor team. This marked the third raid on the office, following previous searches on the 15th and 16th, to secure additional evidence related to the lawmaker’s alleged offenses.

Concerns have been raised that the statute of limitations for the lawmaker’s alleged bribery could soon expire. If the luxury watch’s value is under 10 million Korean won, the total amount (30 million Korean won) would fall below the threshold for a seven-year statute of limitations. Since the cash was reportedly received around 2018, the statute of limitations could expire next year. Police are currently verifying the timing and amount of the alleged cash transfer.

https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2025/12/31/TXKAJLDST5HPLBHLWKWNFKGQJI/

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