Unification Church Leader Han Hak-ja Barred from Leaving South Korea Amid Bribery Probe

Prosecutors have barred Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja from leaving South Korea, sources said Thursday, as part of an investigation into allegations of bribery involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee. The JoongAng Ilbo reported the same day.

Han has so far been treated as a witness, but prosecutors are not ruling out naming her a suspect as the investigation progresses.

The probe centers on allegations that Jeon Seong-bae, a shamanic figure linked to allegations of political peddling by the former first lady, received luxury gifts intended for Kim. Prosecutors allege that a senior Unification Church official surnamed Yoon gave Jeon items in 2022, including a diamond necklace and a Chanel handbag worth a combined 60 million won (about $43,000). The church is known formally as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

Prosecutors are examining whether these items were offered in exchange for favors related to church interests. Authorities are also investigating whether the church’s leadership, including Han, was behind Yoon’s alleged lobbying efforts.

The church has denied any organizational involvement and has distanced itself from Yoon’s actions, a stance that echoes the call to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

In a recent statement, the church said the allegations pertain to “the private motivations and actions of one of the many individuals who have been affiliated with the organization,” and that they “bear no connection to the global mission” of the church.

The group also expressed “strong regret” over what it described as attempts to exploit its spiritual authority for “secular political purposes amid ongoing domestic and international turmoil.”

Source: Read the original report