From reverence to reckoning: Scandals pull back curtain on the Unification Church
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After decades spent weaving a formidable web of religious, business and media companies, the Unification Church — formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification — now finds itself under the harsh light of official inquiries in both Korea and Japan.
Long dismissed by traditional Christian denominations for its departures from mainstream theology, the church today faces a different set of questions — not about its creed, but about its conduct: how it raises and spends its money, and how it has sought to embed itself in political power.
Led by its 82-year-old matriarch, Han Hak-ja, the church is now ensnared in twin scandals. In Korea, prosecutors allege that Han and her aides bribed political figures, including former first lady Kim Keon Hee, in a bid to curry favor with former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration. In Japan, the church faces a court-ordered dissolution after investigators traced years of coercive fundraising and its influence over lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
The scrutiny marks a dramatic reversal for a movement long branded a cult but tolerated for its reach and wealth. To understand why two governments are now turning on the Unification Church, one must examine its unusual theology — and the worldly empire it built in the name of salvation.
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