Unification Church leader gets two years in prison

Han Hak-ja, the 83-year-old leader of the Unification Church, was yesterday sentenced to two years in prison for bribing the wife of ousted former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol and other corruption charges.

The Seoul Central District Court convicted Han, widow of church founder Sun Myung Moon, of violating the political funds acts, bribery and embezzling church funds, the court’s public affairs office said.

A team of investigators led by special prosecutor Min Joong-ki earlier requested a 13-year prison term for Han. Both Han and Min’s team have one week to appeal.

Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja arrives for the sentencing hearing on allegations of bribery and political funding at the Seoul Central District Court yesterday.

Photo: Reuters

Han earlier denied the allegations. She is the top leader of the Unification Church, officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, which her husband founded in 1954.

The Seoul court sentenced a church official to six months in prison and gave two other church officials suspended terms over their involvement in Han’s case.

Last year, Han was arrested and charged with giving then-first lady Kim Keon-hee luxury goods in 2022 when Yoon was in office. She was also charged with giving conservative lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, a Yoon loyalist, 100 million won (US$73,000) months before Yoon’s inauguration.

In January, Kim received a 20-month prison term at the Seoul Central District Court for receiving gifts including a Graff diamond necklace and a Chanel bag from the Unification Church, which sought political favors in return.

In April, an appeals court increased her sentence to four years in prison by convicting her of additional charges, including receiving another Chanel bag from the church and stock price manipulation.

The presidential couple suffered a dramatic fall from grace after Yoon’s imposition of martial law in late 2024 that led to his impeachment and eventual removal from office.

In February, Yoon was sentenced to life in prison for rebellion in connection with his martial law enforcement.

On Dec. 3, 2024, Yoon abruptly imposed martial law and sent troops and police officers to the National Assembly, saying he aimed to eliminate “anti-state forces” and “shameless North Korea sympathizers.” The martial law lasted six hours as he was forced to lift it after the assembly unanimously voted it down.

Yoon has defended his action, calling it a desperate attempt to draw public support for his fight against the liberal opposition Democratic Party that obstructed his agenda.