Joint Investigation Headquarters Indicts Nine Including Yoon Youngho of Unification Church... Illegal Donations of 188 Million Won to 132 Politicians

Han Hakja and Others Not Prosecuted Due to Lack of Evidence

Current and former executives of the Unification Church have been indicted for illegally donating political funds to 132 politicians, including members of the National Assembly.

The Joint Investigation Headquarters on Political-Religious Collusion (headed by Daejeon High Prosecutors’ Office Chief Prosecutor Kim Taehun) announced on August 11 that Yoon Youngho, former head of the Unification Church’s global headquarters; Song Gwangseok, former president of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP); and a former president of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF), surnamed Lee, were indicted without detention on charges of violating the Political Funds Act and embezzlement in the course of work. In addition, six executives under the Unification Church, including regional leaders who were partially involved in the crime, were also indicted via a summary order on the same charges.

Yoon Youngho, former head of the Unification Church World Headquarters, is attending the detention warrant hearing at the Seoul Central District Court. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

They are accused of using the nationwide Unification Church organization between September 2019 and January last year to illegally contribute about 188 million won in church funds during a total of 218 instances to 132 politicians, including National Assembly members. The Joint Investigation Headquarters found that the Unification Church used its officials’ personal names to provide political funds with the aim of expanding its religious influence by having many politicians participate in church-hosted events.

To uncover the substance of the allegations, the investigation team explained that it had conducted raids on 24 locations, including the Unification Church's Cheon Jeong Gung, tracked about 480 financial accounts, and questioned 82 individuals connected to the case.

However, the investigation team decided not to refer Unification Church leader Han Hakja and former chief secretary Jeong Wonjoo to prosecutors, judging there was insufficient evidence of their direct involvement in the crimes, and returned the case files, thereby concluding the investigation. It also determined that none of the 132 politicians would be indicted, judging that they were unaware that the donations received via their accounts had been sent by the Unification Church for a specific purpose.

The Joint Investigation Headquarters also announced that, ahead of the local elections held on June 3 this year, it is investigating allegations that some Shincheonji believers in the Seoul metropolitan area joined the Democratic Party of Korea in violation of the Public Official Election Act. In March, during questioning of a former Shincheonji member, the team obtained testimony that, in 2022, the youth president of the Simon tribe stated, "I am enrolled in both the People Power Party and the Democratic Party. We need to show our strength to politicians," thereby encouraging people to register as party members.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.