Unification Church Leader Han Hak-ja Arrested in Seoul, South Korea, on Bribery Accusation

South Korean prosecutors announced that Han Hak-ja, leader of the Unification Church, also known as the Moon sect, was arrested on Tuesday under a warrant issued by a Seoul court. The prosecutor’s office accuses her of bribery. Han Hak-ja, 82, was immediately placed in pretrial detention. In a statement, the prosecutor’s office said the Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant “citing the fear that she could destroy evidence.”

Han Hak-ja was questioned last week about her alleged role in paying bribes to former first lady Kim Keon Hee and an influential lawmaker. Prosecutors requested her arrest the following day. According to the source, she is accused of paying a bribe of 100 million won (more than 61,000 euros) to the lawmaker. Last week, as she left the prosecutor’s office in a wheelchair after more than nine hours of questioning, she denied any wrongdoing, telling journalists, “Why would I have done that?”

The Unification Church, also called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, was founded in 1954 by her late husband, Moon Sun-myung. The source notes that the church has long been the subject of controversy over its mass weddings and its sectarian culture. It claims ten million followers worldwide and has considerable influence in South Korea, where it owns an economic empire ranging from media to hotels to food distribution.

Han Hak-ja took over leadership of the organization after her husband died in 2012. She is suspected of having given exorbitant gifts, including a handbag and a diamond necklace, to Kim Keon Hee in 2022 in order to win favor with Kim’s husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, who became president that year. These are allegations, and the source does not report findings on them.

The source also reports on the related cases. Kim Keon Hee has been arrested and indicted for bribery and stock market manipulation. Yoon Suk Yeol is on trial for declaring martial law in December 2024. He was removed from office in April and is also in prison.

Following her arrest, the church said in a statement: “We humbly accept the Court’s decision.” It added, “We will sincerely cooperate with the ongoing investigation and legal proceedings to establish the truth, and we will do everything possible to seize this opportunity to restore trust in our Church.” The church also offered its “sincere apologies for causing concern.” The statement’s call to seek the truth through open cooperation echoes a plain commitment to honest speech (Ephesians 4:15).

Before Tuesday’s decision, the Unification Church had described the prosecutor’s request for an arrest warrant as “an unjust persecution of a global religious leader.”