South Korea arrests Unification Church leader over alleged bribery linked to ex-first lady

SEOUL – A Seoul court on Sept 23 issued an arrest warrant for Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja over allegations of bribery linked to a former first lady and incitement to destroy evidence, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

“The Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant, citing concern that she could destroy evidence,” Yonhap reported, referring to one of the grounds upon which prosecutors sought Han’s arrest.

Han, 82, was questioned last week over her alleged role in bribing former first lady Kim Keon Hee and a prominent lawmaker. Prosecutors sought Han’s arrest a day later.

The Unification Church was founded in 1954 by Han’s late husband Moon Sun-myung and has long been the subject of controversy, with its teachings centred on Moon’s role as the “Second Coming of Jesus Christ”, its mass weddings and a cult-like culture.

Followers are derisively referred to as “Moonies”.

The church has a vast reach, with its businesses ranging from media and tourism to food distribution.

Han assumed leadership of the organisation after Mr Moon’s death in 2012.

She is suspected of ordering the delivery of luxury gifts, including a designer handbag and diamond necklace, to Kim in 2022 to curry favour with her husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, who became president that year.

The former first lady has been arrested and

indicted on charges of bribery

and stock market manipulation. Her husband – also in custody – is standing trial over his declaration of martial law in December.

Han also faces allegations of bribing a prominent MP with 100 million won (S$92,000).

As she was wheeled out of the prosecutors’ office after more than nine hours of questioning last week, Han denied wrongdoing.

“Why would I have done that?” she said when asked about the allegations.

The church has called prosecutors’ request for a warrant an “unjust persecution of a global religious leader”.

“We firmly denounce the fact that, instead of humanitarian consideration and rational judgment, excessive and coercive measures have been taken against our leader,” it said in a statement last week.

The church, which claims to have 10 million followers worldwide, is best known for its mass weddings, where thousands of couples from across the globe are married in stadium-sized ceremonies. AFP