Particle.news
Download on the App Store
34 ARTICLES
·
yesterday

Special Counsel Seeks Arrest of Unification Church Leader After Lawmaker Taken Into Custody

Prosecutors allege Han directed 2022 bribes tied to gifts for Kim Keon Hee plus 100 million won for Rep. Kweon to secure political favors.

Image
Han Hak-ja, the leader of the Unification Church, arrives at the special prosecutors' office for questioning over allegations, which she has denied, that she instructed the church to bribe the wife of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol and a politician close to Yoon, in Seoul, South Korea, September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
Han Hak-ja, the leader of the Unification Church, arrives at the special prosecutors' office for questioning over allegations, which she has denied, that she instructed the church to bribe the wife of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol and a politician close to Yoon, in Seoul, South Korea, September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
Hak Ja Han, center, the leader of South Korea's Unification Church, arrives at a special prosecutor's office in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Overview

  • Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, citing a risk of evidence destruction, and he was immediately detained.
  • Investigators formally requested an arrest warrant for church leader Han Hak-ja on charges including violating the Political Funds Act, anti-graft violations, inciting destruction of evidence, and embezzlement, with a hearing expected next week.
  • The warrant request also targets Han’s former chief of staff, identified as Jeong, who is suspected of delivering cash to Kweon and ordering evidence destruction tied to a separate gambling probe.
  • Han was questioned for several hours after previously skipping summons, while she and the Unification Church deny institutional wrongdoing and say a former official acted on his own; alleged gifts to Kim include two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace.
  • Special counsel investigators attempted another search at People Power Party headquarters to obtain membership records as evidence for claims the church mobilized mass sign-ups to influence the party’s 2023 leadership race.