Unification Church leader denies directing political bribery in South Korea

FILE PHOTO: Han Hak-ja, widow of Evangelist Reverend Moon Sun-myung, sprays holy water to bless couples during a mass wedding ceremony of the Unification Church at Cheongshim Peace World Centre in Gapyeong, South Korea, August 27, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) -The head of South Korea's Unification Church has denied that she directed the group to bribe a former First Lady and a politician close to ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, as the church comes under the spotlight in a criminal probe into Yoon and his wife.

Special prosecutors indicted former First Lady Kim Keon Hee for bribery and other charges on Friday, amid a widening probe into the country's martial law crisis and scandals involving the once powerful couple.