Shaman Jeon Seong-bae Sentenced to Six Years in Unification Church Bribery Case
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A Seoul Central District Court sentenced Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman widely known as Geonjin, to six years in prison for allegedly receiving bribes and gifts in exchange for favors, leveraging his close ties with former first lady Kim Keon-hee and the Unification Church. This sentence is harsher than the five-year term requested by special counsel Min Joong-ki.
The court’s Criminal Division 33 (Judge Lee Jin-gwan) on the 24th found Jeon guilty of brokerage bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. It ordered the confiscation of a confiscated Graff necklace and the recovery of 180,786,793 Korean won from Jeon. The court stated, “Jeon did not merely mediate but systematically managed high-ranking officials over an extended period. As a result, Yoon Suk-yeol, Kim Keon-hee, and the Unification Church formed a symbiotic relationship, leading to an unconstitutional entanglement of religion and state.”
The court acknowledged Jeon’s guilt in colluding with Kim to receive two Chanel bags and a Graff necklace worth approximately 83 million Korean won from Yun Young-ho, former Unification Church global head, between April and July 2022. Jeon claimed, “I merely delivered items and did not conspire to mediate,” but the court rejected this argument.
Regarding the first Chanel bag (worth 8.02 million Korean won) received in April 2022, the court ruled, “Even without explicit requests, the receipt of the bag as an implicit reward for mediation is acknowledged.” This was based on Kim’s awareness of the Unification Church’s support for Yoon Suk-yeol’s presidential campaign and the timing of the gift, which coincided with anticipated demands for support one month before his inauguration.
The court also addressed the issue of “job relevance” since Yoon was a president-elect at the time. It concluded, “A president-elect holds a status equivalent to a public official or is certain to become one shortly,” affirming the applicability of brokerage bribery charges. It added, “A bag worth 8.02 million Korean won cannot be considered a ceremonial gift under social norms.”
This contradicts the earlier acquittal of Kim Keon-hee in a separate trial. Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 27 (Judge Woo In-sung), handling her charges under the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, ruled the first Chanel bag was not linked to specific mediation requests, citing insufficient evidence of her awareness of explicit demands. However, Jeon’s trial court viewed the same bag as evidence of guilt, highlighting differing judicial interpretations of whether “specific requests” existed at the time of receipt.
The court also determined that the Graff necklace, which Kim’s side claimed was never received, was indeed delivered to her. Jeon initially claimed, “I did not deliver it and lost it,” but after evidence showed Kim exchanged it for other items, he retracted his statement, saying, “I exchanged it to gift to someone else.” The court dismissed this as a “false statement to avoid punishment for both Jeon and Kim.” It further noted, “Given Jeon’s demand for an annual 50 million Korean won advisory fee to maintain his relationship with Kim, there was no reason for him to embezzle the necklace personally.”
Jeon’s guilt was also affirmed in demanding an advisory position from Yun and separately receiving 3 million Korean won. Jeon argued, “This was payment for corporate advisory services,” but the court countered, “The money was delivered on the day of the request, alongside specific demands from the Unification Church, such as hosting the UN’s fifth headquarters and the Mekong River project. This was a reward for mediation, not legitimate labor compensation.”
However, Jeon was acquitted of violating the Political Funds Act for allegedly receiving 100 million Korean won from Park Chang-wook, a Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly member, to influence nominations. The court stated, “While Jeon was involved in requests related to Yoon Suk-yeol and People Power Party figures, this was to facilitate his own mediation activities. He does not qualify as a ‘political actor’ under the law.” It also found insufficient evidence that the 100 million Korean won was provided for political activities.
Jeon’s late voluntary submission of Chanel bags and partial confession were considered mitigating factors. However, the court noted, “Jeon continued to deny the crimes, wasting investigative resources, and still disputes whether the mediation was for rewards. This does not constitute a mandatory reason for reduced sentencing.” His request for a reduction under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes for “self-surrender and confession” was also denied.
Content retrieved from: https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/02/24/R4WP3WWQVREJFIUPQINOAUMN6A/.
