Unification Church raided as investigators target ex-first lady
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The special counsel team investigating allegations against former first lady Kim Keon Hee raided premises belonging to the Unification Church on Friday, intensifying a probe into claims that she received luxury gifts from a church official in exchange for business favors.
Investigators executed search warrants at the group’s headquarters in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, its main Seoul office and the residence of a former senior church official surnamed Yun. He is accused of giving a Chanel handbag and jewelry to an associate of the former first lady between April and August 2022, during the presidency of her husband, Yoon Suk Yeol.
The investigation also points to the associate, Jeon Seong-bae ― also known as Geon Jin, a shaman close to Kim ― who is suspected of acting as an intermediary in the delivery of the gifts.
In exchange, the Unification Church is alleged to have sought government support for its business ventures, including backing for a Mekong River development project in Cambodia, the acquisition of cable news channel YTN and invitations to high-profile state events such as the presidential inauguration.
Jeon has admitted to receiving those items from Yun, the church official, but claims to have lost them. So far, investigators have failed to recover the handbag or other items in question. Yun claimed his attempts to deliver the gifts to Kim, via Jeon, were approved by Han Hak-ja, the leader of the Unification Church ― an assertion the church’s leadership denies.
The investigation team is now working to determine whether the group itself was directly involved in these alleged acts of corruption.
Content retrieved from: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/law-crime/20250718/unification-church-raided-as-investigators-target-ex-first-lady.
