Unification Church-backed project in Cambodia investigated for alleged corruption tied to previous gov't

Korea JoongAng Daily

January 13, 2026

A development project in Cambodia promoted by the Unification Church faces a criminal investigation following evidence emerged suggesting it was used to favor the personal commercial interests of a former high-ranking church with close ties to figures of the previous administration from South Korea.

Researchers have identified indications that the project, promoted by the Federation for Universal Peace (commonly known as the Unification Church), was effectively privatized by Yun Young-ho, former head of the church's world headquarters. Yun was charged and arrested last year on charges including bribery, illegal lobbying, and embezzlement of church funds.

Prosecutors suspect Yun relied on his close ties to figures linked to ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol to continue with the project, even after the church leadership withdrew its support.

According to audio recordings and testimony, Yun began promoting several development initiatives in Cambodia in the second half of 2021. Among them stands out is the Mekong Peace Park project, which proposed to transform an island on the Mekong River into a park and build a regional headquarters of the church for Asia-Pacific.

Former first lady accused of bribery

Researchers allege that Yun sought to influence former first lady Kim Keon Hee by giving luxury gifts, including a high-end handbag and necklace, through a partner known as the shaman "Geon Jin." In a recording, Yun is heard saying: "I had huge expectations from the Korean administration and met with all of Yoon's close friends... "even with the first lady and the president."

In December 2022, Yun obtained Cambodian citizenship, a move allegedly aimed at securing land ownership rights. It is reported that the then Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen personally intervened before the king for this procedure.

Electoral funding and proposed casinos

The prosecution has also received testimony suggesting that Yun sought to recover funds allegedly used to support Cambodia’s July 2023 general election. A deal was offered in which a $1 million contribution to election funding would reward a casino license and 90 years of operating rights on a project near Sihanoukville, according to the deputies.

The investigation also points to Yun's wife, alias Lee (former financial director of global headquarters), for allegedly using church funds for personal expenses. Lee is accused of buying luxury items — including Chanel handbags intended for the former first lady — and other personal items such as golf clubs, kitchenware and clothing, adding to an estimated embezzlement of 2.100 million won (roughly $1.4 million). 

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2026-01-13/national/socialAffairs/Unification-Churchbacked-project-in-Cambodia-investigated-for-alleged-corruption-tied-to-previous-govt/2498438

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/

CultNEWS101 Articles: 11/12/2025

Neurobiology, Meditation, Unification Church, Korea, Legal

Cambridge University Press: Evaluating evidence behind popular trauma narratives: neurobiological and treatment claims in The Body Keeps the Score

"Bessel van der Kolk's book The Body Keeps the Score has maintained exceptional cultural and clinical influence since its publication in 2014, remaining a best-seller and shaping public discourse on trauma. Its central claims – that trauma causes lasting neurobiological damage and that body-based treatments are uniquely effective – have been widely embraced but seldom subjected to systematic critical evaluation in peer-reviewed literature. This commentary synthesises the evidentiary basis for these claims as a counterweight to an influential narrative. It situates these findings within broader discussions of neuroscience framing, cultural appeal, and evidence-based communication, underscoring the need for rigorous, balanced engagement with widely disseminated mental health narratives."

Science Daily: Scientists uncover meditation's hidden side effects

Meditation is widely praised for its mental health benefits, but new research shows that it can also produce unexpected side effects for some people—from anxiety and dissociation to functional impairment. Psychologist Nicholas Van Dam and his team found that nearly 60% of meditators experienced some kind of effect, and about a third found them distressing.

" ... The results showed that nearly 60% of U.S. meditators reported at least one side effect listed on the checklist (for example, feeling anxious or disembodied). About 30% said they experienced effects that were challenging or distressing, and 9% reported that these effects caused functional impairment.

The study also identified several potential risk factors. Individuals who had experienced mental health symptoms or psychological distress within the 30 days before meditating were more likely to report adverse effects. Those who attended intensive residential retreats, which often involve long periods of silent meditation, were also more likely to experience functional impairment.

Van Dam noted that more research is needed to determine cause and effect. A prospective longitudinal study, he said, would help clarify how mental health and meditation interact over time."

Reuters: Head of Unification Church temporarily freed from South Korean jail

"Han Hak-ja, the leader of the Unification Church, was temporarily released on Tuesday from a South Korean jail on medical grounds after a court ruling, a court spokesperson and a church official said.

Han has been accused of directing the church to bribe former First Lady Kim Keon Hee for favours for the church's business interests. She has denied the allegations, calling them "false information".

Han will be freed from jail until 4 p.m. (0700 GMT) on Friday, the Seoul Central District Court said in a text message.

Han's lawyer had requested her temporary release for medical reasons, a spokesperson at the church said, without elaborating.

The court said Han would be required to stay at a hospital designated by the court.

She will be prohibited from meeting or contacting anyone related to the case, except for her lawyers, the court said."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

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Kim Keon-hee, Han Hak-ja Indicted in Unification Church Party Scheme

Charged with violating Political Parties Act over collective entry into People Power Party

Kim Na-yeong

Chosun Daily 

November 7, 2025

The special prosecutor’s team, led by Min Joong-ki, investigating various allegations against former first lady Kim Keon-hee, announced on the 7th that it had additionally indicted Kim, Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, and others in connection with the alleged "collective entry of Unification Church members into the People Power Party."

The special counsel stated, “Kim, Han, Jeon Seong-bae (a shaman also known as Geonjin), Yun Young-ho (former Unification Church global head), and Jeong (a former Unification Church secretary-general), among five individuals, were additionally indicted on charges of violating the Political Parties Act.” The law stipulates that no individual shall be coerced into joining or leaving a political party against their free will.

The special counsel alleged that Kim and Jeon colluded to request the Unification Church in November 2022 to organize a collective entry of its followers into the People Power Party, with the aim of ensuring the election of their preferred candidate ahead of the party’s leadership race in March 2023. According to the indictment, “In return, they promised the Unification Church policy support, financial benefits, and a proportional representation seat in the National Assembly for the church’s share, which Han and others accepted.”

In relation to this allegation, the special counsel reportedly seized and searched a server containing the People Power Party’s membership list on September 19, extracting a list of approximately 110,000 to 120,000 individuals suspected of being Unification Church followers. On September 30, they also raided the party’s Gyeongnam provincial chapter and discovered bundles of membership applications presumed to have been submitted by Unification Church adherents.

Earlier, the special counsel reported that the Unification Church had systematically supported former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s government by donating funds to 17 city and provincial chapters of the People Power Party around the time of the 20th presidential election. On the 10th of last month, Han was referred to trial on charges including violations of the Political Funds Act. Kim was arrested and indicted in August on charges of violating the Capital Markets Act, the Political Funds Act, and solicitation of bribes under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

This article has been translated by Upstage Solar AI.

https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2025/11/07/3KL37M4CTFBPPLDUAOGC6WINKY/

Unification Church leader returns to jail after eye surgery

SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja returned to jail Friday upon completing eye surgery, after a court rejected her request to extend her temporary release.

Han, who is standing trial for alleged bribery linked to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration, was granted temporary release from a detention center on Tuesday to undergo eye surgery with a deadline to return by 4 p.m. Friday.

The church leader later requested an extension, however, citing the need to recover from surgery. The Seoul Central District Court rejected it on Friday.

Han has been in custody since September over charges of bribing People Power Party Rep. Kweon Seong-dong in 2022 in exchange for his help in gaining favors for the church from the future Yoon administration.

She is also accused of involvement in gifting a luxury necklace and Chanel bags to Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee, while requesting favors, embezzling the church's money to purchase the gifts and ordering the destruction of evidence ahead of a police investigation into her alleged overseas gambling.

https://m-en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20251107009800315

CultNEWS101 Articles: 10/7/2025

Clergy Sexual Abuse, Unification Church, Opus Dei

OVS News: Study into sexual abuse of women religious sheds light on spiritual abuse

"The first research study into the sexual abuse of women religious in German-speaking countries has shown a typical pattern of spiritual abuse with global cases and highlighted that the majority of abuse is perpetrated by men, although some sisters were abused also by women superiors.

The study titled "Sexual Abuse of Catholic Women Religious Victims, Perpetrators and (Non)consensual Relationships" is the culmination of three years' work by Barbara Haslbeck, professor of pastoral theology and homiletics at the University of Regensburg, Germany.

Speaking to OSV News about the new study, published on Sept. 15, Haslbeck explained that 15 women who experienced sexual abuse as religious in German-speaking countries were interviewed for the study.

"Given the sensitive nature of the subject matter, this is a major study," Haslbeck told OSV News.

The aim of this pioneering research project is to gain an understanding of "the systemic conditions of abuse and determine the consequences of the abuse," the researcher said.

It also aimed to shed light on the characteristics of the perpetrators, the grooming, the extent of the abuse, the occasions of the abuse, and identify spiritual manipulation in the abuse process.

The assumption that priests are "harmless" was highlighted as an enabling factor in the communities in which the women lived, the research director said. Other issues included obedience as "a vulnerability factor." At the same time, chastity and the "bridal motif" were identified by the victims as "ambivalent ideals" in the face of abuse, used by perpetrators to lure their potential victims."

Hankyoreh: Following the money: Investigators seek to verify if Unification Church cash reached Yoon

"With the special counsel team investigating the Unification Church's alleged bribery scheme now having arrested its leader, Han Hak-ja, the probe is likely to set its sights on former President Yoon Suk-yeol next by tracing the flow of church funds.

Early on Tuesday, a judge from the Seoul Central District Court's warrant division issued an arrest warrant for Han, citing "concerns over destruction of evidence." Han currently faces suspicions of violating the Political Funds Act and the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, embezzling church funds, and instructing the destruction of evidence.

The key allegation requiring further investigation is that Han delivered 100 million won (US$72,000) in illegal political funds to PPP lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong in January 2022 through Yun Young-ho, the former global operations director of the Unification Church. Yun has been indicted and is currently behind bars.

The special counsel team is considering the possibility that this sum reached the former president himself. During the investigation, it was revealed that Yun, who managed Unification Church finances, placed half of the 100 million won delivered to Kweon in a separate bundle that bore the Chinese character for "king" in embroidery. This suggests Yoon may have received or been aware of a portion of the Unification Church's bribe.

The team will likely turn up additional funds beyond the aforementioned 100 million won that the Unification Church handed Kweon."

NCR: Former Opus Dei numerary's memoir claims abuse, trafficking

"An ex-assistant numerary, Anne Marie Allen held the lowest rank of Opus Dei's hierarchical structure, where she spent almost seven years with the conservative Catholic group in Ireland, starting when she was 15.

"I think it is the voice of the weakest that will bring Opus Dei down," Allen says matter-of-factly.

In Serve: My Lost Years at the Heart of Opus Dei, the 62-year-old documents the domestic servitude that she and other Irish women say they were lured into with the promise of vocational training. Her criticism of Opus Dei, including that the promised training never materialized, echoes that of other ex-numerary assistants around the world, including in Argentina, where a criminal investigation involves 43 former members who say they were trafficked and exploited.

Opus Dei is a conservative and notoriously secretive Catholic group founded in 1928 in Spain by Fr. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás (1902-1975). Dogged by controversy from the beginning, the group's stated aim is to help lay and clerical members sanctify their daily lives. While this mission has resonated with a post-Vatican II church, critics say Opus Dei seeks to influence the powerful and wealthy to increase its own access to the levers of power within both the church and society. This blending of faith and political lobbying has been powerful in the United States and Spain.

Assistant numeraries — Opus Dei's lowest rank — are women who primarily attend to the domestic needs of the organization's centers, including cooking and cleaning. The women live and work under the obedience of Opus Dei and commit to celibacy and to sanctifying their lives.

Opus Dei is believed to have 90,000 members in up to 70 countries, though exact figures are elusive due to the group's discretion — or secrecy, depending on your viewpoint."

The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 11/7/2025

Unification Church, Conspiracy

The Sun: 'PRODUCT OF EVIL' My dad was the leader of the Moonies sex cult who bedded brides to 'purify wombs'… but abuse by MUM from 5 was my darkest secret

"GROWING up, Sam Park always knew he was a 'Blessed Child,' but discovering his real father was the 'Second Coming of Christ' who 'owned the universe' was a lot to live with.

Especially since his dad, the founder of Unification Church – better known as The Moonies – was busy positioning himself as the Messiah who would save the world from hell.

This revelation was to have a damaging lifelong effect on Sam as he learnt how his Korean-born father, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, used the church to satisfy his voracious sexual appetite.

The cult leader indulged in group sex with his "Disciples" and made couples drink "Holy Wine", laced with his own semen, in mass wedding ceremonies.

There were also accusations that he brainwashed young, impressionable people drawn to the movement, looking for a purpose in life.

But even darker and more personal for Sam was the sexual abuse he received from the woman he later learnt was his biological mother, which began when he was just five years old.

"I am the product of the evilness that they hid and I'm not going to be silent about it anymore because it's destroyed my life," says Sam, who features in the documentary, The Moonies: Married to the Cult, which can be seen on Amazon Prime."

MIT Technology Review: How to help friends and family dig out of a conspiracy theory black hole

"Someone I know became a conspiracy theorist seemingly overnight.

It was during the pandemic, and out of nowhere, they suddenly started posting daily on Facebook about the dangers of COVID-19 vaccines and masks, warning of an attempt to control us and keep us in our places. The government had planned it all; it was part of a wider plot by a group of shadowy pedophile elites who ran the world. The World Economic Forum was involved in some way, and Bill Gates, natch. The claims seemed to get wilder by the day. I didn't always follow.

As a science and technology journalist, my duty was to respond. So I did, occasionally posting long debunking responses to their posts. Facts alone (uncertain as they were at the time) would help me win the argument. But all I got was derision. I was so naive, apparently. I eventually blocked this person for the sake of my own mental health.

Over the years, I've often wondered: Could I have helped more? Are there things I could have done differently to talk them back down and help them see sense?

I should have spoken to Sander van der Linden, professor of social psychology in society at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of Foolproof, a book about misinformation and how we make ourselves less susceptible to it.

As part of MIT Technology Review's package on conspiracies, I gave him a call to ask: What would he advise if one of our family members or friends showed signs of having fallen down the rabbit hole?"

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

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Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.

CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families in making the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.

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CultNEWS101 Articles: 10/20/2025

Franklin Graham,  Good News International Ministries,  Unification Church, Korea, Legal

RNS: Franklin Graham quits membership in financial accountability group

"Franklin Graham, the president and CEO of two of the largest Christian ministries in the country, has quit his organizations' membership in a financial accountability group that sets standards for evangelical nonprofits.

Graham, who leads Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, withdrew from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability over new standards the group had set for "leader care."

The ECFA, which requires member nonprofits to have audited financial statements and to make those public, among other things, recently announced it was adding leadership integrity requirements to prevent the kind of abuse and scandals that have rocked so many Christian leadership ranks.

Just in the past year, Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pleaded guilty to child abuse, Dallas megachurch pastor Tony Evans stepped back from leading his church due to undisclosed "sin," and the Church of England's Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned over allegations that he failed to immediately report child abuse.

The new standard requires all ECFA member organizations to develop a care plan for their senior leader, including regular communication with a board-led spiritual team and dedicated time for rest, retreats, and physicals.

In a letter to the ECFA's president this past summer, Graham wrote that the new leader standards "put ECFA into the role of trying to be the moral police of the evangelical world."

"The Leader Care standard," Graham wrote, "deals with personal spiritual maturity and behavior matters clearly outside the scope of ECFA's expertise. While ECFA has proven expertise in nonprofit organizations' financial practices, it does not offer its members expertise in developing 'care plans' for leaders.

The withdrawal of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association represents the end of an era for the Graham family. Franklin Graham's father, the late evangelist Billy Graham, was instrumental in founding the ECFA alongside the U.S. branch of World Vision back in 1979."

France24: Cults, mass graves, 'encounters with Jesus': In Kenya, freedom of worship comes under scrutiny

"In April 2023, Kenyan human rights defenders discovered a deadly cult in the Shakahola forest. They exhumed more than 400 bodies from mass graves. The pastor of the Good News International Ministries, Paul Mackenzie, had convinced his followers that by starving themselves to death, they would meet Jesus before the apocalypse struck the Earth. In Kenya, there is complete freedom of religion – anyone can preach as they wish. But in this case, the consequences were disastrous. A trial is currently taking place. "

Korea JoongAng Daily: Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja indicted on charges including political bribery and destruction of evidence

"A special counsel team indicted Han Hak-ja, the leader of the Unification Church, on multiple charges, including political bribery, illegal political donations, and destruction of evidence, on Friday.

 

Han's detention period expires on Sunday. She had filed a request for a court review of her arrest on Sept. 29, but the court rejected it.

According to the special counsel, Han allegedly instructed or approved a 100 million won ($70,400) cash payment made in January 2022 by Yoon Young-ho, who was the head of the Unification Church's global headquarters at the time, to Rep. Kwon Seong-dong of the People Power Party (PPP), a close aide to former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

 

The money was allegedly given in exchange for favors, in violation of the Political Funds Act.

 

Han is also accused of conspiring with Jeong Won-ju, her former chief secretary, and Yoon Young-ho to funnel about 144 million won in Unification Church funds to lawmakers of a political party between March and April 2022 through a so-called "split-fund scheme," also in violation of the same law."

The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 10/13/2025

India, Maharishi, Unification Church, Korea, Japan, Legal

The Live Nagpur: State-Wise List: 54 Indian Universities Declared Defaulters

"The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a notice to 54 state private universities across India for failing to submit information under Section 13 of the UGC Act, 1956, and for not uploading their public self-disclosure details on their official websites.

The directive follows UGC guidelines on public self-disclosure issued on June 10, 2024, which mandate that all higher education institutions maintain a functional website that provides relevant information to students and stakeholders. Universities were required to submit detailed information in a prescribed electronic format, along with supporting documents attested by the university registrar. They were also instructed to upload these details on their websites with a clearly visible link on the homepage.

Despite multiple reminders via emails and online meetings, the listed universities have not complied. The defaulting institutions [include Maharishi University of Management and Technology, Bilaspur, and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Vedic Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur]."

Korea Times: Court dismisses lawmaker's, Unification Church leader's petitions against arrest

"A Seoul court has dismissed the petitions of Rep. Kweon Seong-dong and Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja against their arrests, keeping them in custody over their alleged exchange of illegal political funds for favors.

The Seoul Central District Court issued the rulings late Wednesday, hours after holding hearings to review whether their arrests last month were legal and should remain in place.

"Based on the results of suspect questioning and the case records, it is acknowledged that the requests have no cause," the bench said, ruling in favor of special counsel Min Joong-ki's team, which had cited risks the suspects would destroy evidence."

South China Morning Post: Japanese court orders Unification Church to pay US$340,000 to 3 over donations scam

"Lawyers helping victims of the Unification Church's aggressive donation solicitation practices in Japan said on Thursday that an arbitration had been concluded, ordering the church to pay a total of more than 50 million yen (US$340,000) in damages to three former believers in their eighties – the first such agreement between the two parties.

The arbitration case filed with the Tokyo District Court was one of over 180 cases brought by victims seeking around 6 billion yen over the issue, which came to light following the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 by a man who claimed to hold a grudge against the church due to its aggressive fundraising.

The group, known as Lawyers from Across Japan for the Victims of the Unification Church, began arbitration proceedings in July 2023 after the church refused to engage in collective bargaining on the matter.

A woman who was swindled out of around 36 million yen by the church said that she "hopes other victims will reach a resolution soon", adding that she had been frustrated by the deception."

The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan or Joseph Kelly endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.

CultNEWS101 Articles: 9/30/2025

Unification Church, Legal, Korea

Swiss Info: Moon fortune to stay in Zug foundation

"It's the end of a protracted legal battle. On July 3, 2025, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals put an end to one of the most prolonged legal disputes over the will of the late Reverend Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, better known as the Moonies. The background to all of this was the transfer of a fortune of several hundred million dollars into a foundation in Zug, Switzerland.

The American court turned down all the petitions by the widow of the reverend, Hak Ja Han Moon, and their youngest son, Hyung Jin Moon (alias Sean), against their rival Preston Moon, the eldest son of the deceased Korean guru. The judges found that this man's decisions were a matter of internal religious belief. Civil courts are not in a position to decide on this sort of dispute, it being excluded by the First Amendment of the US Constitution."

" ... The assets placed in the Swiss foundation include investments in two massive real estate projects in Seoul – Central City Limited and Parc1, a 69-storey skyscraper – as well as a ski resort, a construction company, and $2 million in cash.

According to Preston Moon himself, this transfer of funds was intended to counter the Church's poor reputation with Korean banks and to fund the Parc1 construction project, presented as the "life's dream" of his late father.

Yet this undertaking was launched without informing the reverend's widow, nor the historic Japanese branch of the Church, nor Sean Moon. Convinced that Preston Moon had appropriated the organisation's assets to use them for his own religious aims, his opponents went before the Washington courts."

" ... In its July 3, 2025, decision, the Court of Appeal ultimately closed this door completely. It found that the plaintiffs had not shown that Preston Moon had derived personal advantage from the transfer of assets to the Swiss foundation. It also found that none of the accusations of "self-dealing" in the initial submissions to the suit concerned KIF. It is too late to bring them up now. The Court also declined the plaintiffs' request to reopen the case to include new evidence."

Hankyoreh: Han Hak-ja: Who the Unification Church leader is, and why she might soon be jailed

"Han Hak-ja, the leader of the Unification Church, appeared before a judge on Monday as the court weighed whether to grant a warrant for her arrest on suspicion of bribing former first lady Kim Keon-hee and People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong.

Since Yun Young-ho, the former director of the church's international operations, was indicted on similar charges on Aug. 18, Han has strenuously denied involvement, saying that Yun acted alone.

However, given the Unification Church's doctrine and global organization, and Yun's testimony that every detail of church affairs is reported to Han, investigators working the case believe the Unification Church's lobbying of the administration of President Yoon Suk-yeol could not have gone down without Han's instruction and approval.

Since the death of Unification Church founder Moon Sun-myung on Sept. 9, 2012, Han, 82, has controlled the church's leadership. Han married Moon, who was 23 years her senior, on April 11, 1960, when she was 17. The couple had 14 children — seven sons and seven daughters — over 21 years.

Within their movement, Moon and Han were referred to as the "true parents" of humanity and were considered messiahs. After Moon's death, Han, as the "true mother," began to expound on a new doctrine that suggested she is the "only begotten daughter" of God. This new doctrine theologically legitimized her succession to the church's throne."

Chosun: Unification Church Director Han Hak-ja Faces Detention Review Over Collusion

"Han Hak-ja, the Unification Church's general director, identified as the central figure in the so-called religious and political collusion allegations involving the Yoon Suk-yeol administration and the Unification Church, appeared for a detention review on the 22nd.

Presiding Judge Jung Jae-wook of the Seoul Central District Court's warrant-dedicated division conducted the substantive review of the warrant for Han, the general director, for approximately five hours starting at 1:30 p.m. that day.

Han, who arrived at the court in a wheelchair around 12:53 p.m., did not respond to reporters' questions, including: "Did you testify that you gave Kweon Seong-dong, a People Power Party lawmaker, not 100 million Korean won but 300 million Korean won and a necktie?" "How do you view the fact that former Unification Church global headquarters chief Yun Young-ho has admitted to delivering a Chanel bag and 100 million Korean won?" and "Will you primarily address health issues during the detention review?" Followers cheered, shouting, "We love you," toward her.

Han faces four charges: violations of the Political Funds Act, the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, instigation of evidence destruction, and occupational embezzlement. She is accused of instructing Yun, the former chief, to deliver 100 million Korean won in political funds to Representative Kweon in January 2022 (violation of the Political Funds Act) and donating a total of 210 million Korean won to People Power Party metropolitan and provincial offices using Unification Church funds."

The Korean Herald: Court issues warrant to detain Unification Church leader

" ... The court issued Han's warrant at around 6:30 a.m., 12 hours after the warrant application hearing ended.

Han reportedly denied the charges during the five-hour hearing, insisting she has no interest in politics, does not know much about it, and never gave money to any politician

Her legal team argued that there was no risk of flight or evidence tampering, considering her age and deteriorating health.

The special counsel submitted a 220-page report to the court earlier, emphasizing the necessity of Han's detention, citing her three consecutive refusals to comply with special counsel summonses on Sept. 8, Sept. 11, and Sept. 15.

The Unification Church leader left the court building in a wheelchair without answering any questions from the press. Reporters asked how much was given to Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, the former floor leader of the People Power Party, and whether the funds were intended to support former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Han was taken to the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, to await the court's decision.

Han will be held at the center's waiting room until she is admitted to a detention cell on Tuesday."

BBC: 'Moonies' church leader arrested over gifts to ex-South Korean first

"South Korea has arrested the leader of the controversial Unification Church over allegations the organisation bribed South Korea's former first lady in exchange for business and political favours.

Han Hak-ja's church is accused of giving Kim Keon Hee, the wife of ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol, two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace, together worth 80 million won ($57,900; £42,500).

Han, the 82-year-old widow of the church's founder Sun Myung Moon, has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling them "false".

The church said Tuesday it would "faithfully engage" with authorities and "do [its] best to use this as an occasion to restore trust in our church".

It also apologised for "causing concern to the people".

Prosecutors had sought an arrest warrant for Han on four charges, including improper solicitation and graft, and occupational embezzlement.

In court on Monday, Han rejected the charges, insisting that she has neither interest in nor knowledge about politics. Her lawyers argued against the arrest, citing her age and worsening health.

Han is also accused of colluding with a former church official, surnamed Yun, to offer 100 million won in bribes to conservative lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong ahead of the 2022 presidential election, in exchange for favours for the church if Yoon won the election, which he did."

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