The idea for the tunnel was first publicly introduced at a Unification Church event more than 40 years ago. - Photo: AFP
SEOUL: A decades-old proposal to build an undersea tunnel linking South Korea and Japan has re-emerged at the centre of a widening political scandal involving the Unification Church and alleged illicit funding of senior politicians.
Findings released by a special counsel on Dec 10 allege that former oceans minister Chun Jae-soo received political funds and luxury gifts from the church in exchange for advancing the South Korea-Japan undersea tunnel project – a proposal that has repeatedly resurfaced in Korean politics despite serious doubts over its economic and technical viability.
According to testimony obtained by investigators, Yun Young-ho, the Unification Church’s former global headquarters chief, claimed that Chun was among five prominent politicians from both major parties who received financial or material support from the church between 2018 and 2020.
Yun alleged that Chun accepted a luxury Bulgari watch and 20 million won (US$13,500) in cash tied specifically to lobbying over the tunnel initiative during the Moon Jae-in administration.
Chun has dismissed the allegations as “entirely false”.
A long-cherished Unification Church project
The South Korea-Japan undersea tunnel has been floated periodically by South Korean politicians for decades.
Less widely known is that the idea was first publicly introduced at a Unification Church event more than 40 years ago and has since been regarded as one of the group’s core ambitions.
In 1981, the church’s founder Moon Sun-myung announced the “International Peace Expressway Initiative”, envisioning a vast overland and undersea network linking Tokyo to London and New York via Seoul.
The centrepiece of that plan was a tunnel connecting South Korea and Japan.
Under Unification Church doctrine, Reverend Moon described South Korea as the “father country” and Japan as the “mother country”, with South Korea further elevated internally as the “Adam Country” – the birthplace of the church’s messiah.
He preached that the two nations must be physically connected for a “new civilisation” to emerge.
He also argued that Japan, having “sinned” against South Korea during its colonial rule, bore a moral obligation to provide compensation – a belief that played a key role in fundraising efforts for the tunnel among Japanese adherents throughout the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Near attempts and economic hurdles
The proposed tunnel would link Busan or Geoje Island on South Korea’s south-eastern coast to Karatsu, a city on Japan’s Kyushu Island.
The Unification Church has reportedly purchased land along Karatsu’s northern coast and excavated a small exploratory tunnel, which church members in Japan continue to visit.
In 1990, former president Roh Tae-woo officially raised the idea during a visit to Japan. Subsequent presidents, including Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, also mentioned the project in relation to South Korea’s economic cooperation with Japan.
More recently, then-People Power Party emergency committee chairman Kim Jong-in brought up the proposal in 2021.
Busan mayors since 2003 from across the aisle have all reviewed the project – with some declaring it one of Busan’s five major projects.
Public broadcaster KBS reported the Unification Church approached lawmakers in 2022 with the tunnel proposal just days before the presidential election.
Despite recurring political interest, the project has never advanced due to steep costs and poor economic feasibility. In 2016, the Busan Development Institute estimated the cost of a roughly 200km tunnel at 116 trillion won.
In an earlier 2010 report, the institute concluded that while the project would generate 54.53 trillion won in production, 19.80 trillion won in added value and create about 449,900 jobs, it is effectively unfeasible due to the extreme construction difficulty posed by water depths reaching 210m.
Experts also point to cautionary precedents. The Channel Tunnel linking the United Kingdom and France – just 50km long, including a 20km undersea section – only turned a profit in 2008, 14 years after opening in 1994.
Why tunnel resurfaced in investigations
The tunnel plans re-entered public attention following the arrest of Yun Young-ho, who was detained on Sept 23 on charges of delivering 100 million won to People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong in 2022.
The money was allegedly provided in exchange for various political favours, including the tunnel, should Yoon Suk Yeol win the presidency.
Investigations later expanded, resulting in the detention of Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja.
Yun has since cooperated with investigators, alleging that Oceans Minister Chun received illicit funds from the church in exchange for advancing the tunnel project. The special counsel sought a four-year sentence for Yun on Dec 11.
“From what I know, Chun Jae-soo received bribes at the Unification Church’s Cheonjunggung headquarters between 2018 and 2020,” Yun reportedly said during questioning by the special counsel in August.
Chun has continued to deny the claims, but resigned on Dec 11.
The allegations involving liberal figures emerged belatedly from the special counsel’s probe into ties between the religious sect and the main opposition People Power Party.
President Lee on Dec 10 ordered a comprehensive investigation into anyone allegedly linked to illegal funding from the Unification Church, regardless of political affiliation. - The Korea Herald/ANN
