Unification Church-backed project in Cambodia investigated for alleged corruption tied to previous gov’t
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A development project in Cambodia promoted by the Unification Church is facing a criminal investigation after evidence emerged suggesting it was used to advance the personal business interests of a former senior church official with close ties to figures in Korea’s previous administration.
Investigators have identified evidence suggesting that the project promoted by the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, commonly known as the Unification Church, was effectively privatized by Yun Young-ho, the former head of the church’s global headquarters. Yun was indicted and detained last year on charges including bribery, illegal lobbying and embezzlement of church funds.
Prosecutors suspect that Yun relied on close ties with figures linked to the ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol to pursue the project even after church leadership withdrew its support.
According to audio recordings obtained by the JoongAng Ilbo and testimony given to prosecutors, Yun began promoting multiple development initiatives in Cambodia in the second half of 2021. Among them was the Mekong Peace Park project, which proposed transforming an island in Cambodia’s Mekong River into a park and constructing an Asia-Pacific regional headquarters for the church.
References to the project appear repeatedly in a special report submitted on Oct. 23, 2021, to “True Mother,” an internal title for church leader Han Hak-ja, indicating that the initiative was initially framed as a church-level undertaking.
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Content retrieved from: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2026-01-13/national/socialAffairs/Unification-Churchbacked-project-in-Cambodia-investigated-for-alleged-corruption-tied-to-previous-govt/2498438.
