Hak Ja-han, the 83-year-old leader of the Unification Church, was sentenced to two years in prison for bribing the wife of ousted conservative president Yoon Suk-yeol and other corruption charges.
The Seoul Central District Court convicted Han, the widow of church founder Sun Myung-moon, of violating the political funds acts, bribery and embezzling church funds, according to the court’s public affairs office.
A team of investigators led by special prosecutor Min Joong-ki earlier requested a 13-year prison term for Han. Both Han and Min’s team have one week to appeal.
Han earlier denied the allegations. She is the top leader of the Unification Church, officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, which her husband founded in 1954.
Yesterday, the Seoul court sentenced a church official to six months in prison and gave two other church officials suspended terms over their involvement in Han’s case.
Last year, Han was arrested and charged with giving then- first lady Kim Keon Hee luxury goods in 2022 when Yoon was in office.
She was also charged with giving conservative lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, a Yoon loyalist, 100 million won (RM294,000) months before Yoon’s inauguration.
In January, Kim received a 20-month prison term for receiving gifts including a Graff diamond necklace and a Chanel bag from the church, which sought political favours in return.
In April, an appeals court increased her sentence to four years in prison by convicting her of additional charges including receiving another Chanel bag from the church and stock price manipulation.
The presidential couple suffered a dramatic fall from grace after Yoon’s imposition of martial law in late 2024 that led to his impeachment and eventual removal from office.
In February, Yoon was sentenced to life in prison for rebellion in connection with his martial law enforcement. — AP
