South Korea is reeling from a major scandal as Han Hak-ja, the respected widow and spiritual successor of Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, was arrested on Tuesday. She faces grave accusations of illegally providing political funds and bribing the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was recently impeached and removed from office.
The 82-year-old Ms. Han is currently detained in a Seoul jail. A court issued the arrest warrant early Tuesday, citing significant concerns that she might attempt to destroy crucial evidence if allowed to remain free.
Affectionately known as “True Mother” by her followers across South Korea and globally, Ms. Han has been at the helm of the Unification Church since its founder, the Rev. Moon, passed away at 92 in 2012. Despite its prominence, the church and its leadership have largely remained out of the public spotlight in South Korea, a nation accustomed to a variety of politically powerful and often controversial religious figures.
However, a series of criminal investigations targeting former President Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee, suddenly thrust Ms. Han and the Unification Church into the national headlines this year.
South Korea endured months of intense political upheaval when Mr. Yoon controversially declared martial law last December, ostensibly to suppress his domestic opposition. His tenure abruptly ended in April following impeachment by the opposition-led National Assembly, and he now faces trial for insurrection.
Just last month, Ms. Kim herself was arrested on bribery charges. Prosecutors allege she received a diamond necklace and two Chanel bags from a high-ranking Unification Church official shortly after Mr. Yoon’s 2022 election. That official, who has since departed the church, was also arrested, along with a self-proclaimed religious guru implicated as an intermediary in the alleged transaction.
The special counsel’s office, which is probing Ms. Kim, questioned Ms. Han last week regarding her suspected involvement in the same case. This interrogation led to their request for a court warrant for her arrest.
Authorities claim Ms. Han diverted church funds to bribe Ms. Kim, seeking political favors to advance the Unification Church’s business ventures. Furthermore, Ms. Han is accused of providing $72,000 in illicit political funds to conservative lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, a close associate of Mr. Yoon, prior to the 2022 election. Mr. Kweon was also arrested just last week.
Ms. Han vehemently denies all accusations. “Why would I do that?” she reportedly asked reporters last week, her voice defiant, after enduring nine hours of questioning by prosecutors.
The Unification Church asserts that any money given by Ms. Han to Mr. Kweon was merely a traditional New Year’s gift, a common practice in Korea. The church also maintained that Ms. Han had no involvement in any alleged dealings between Ms. Kim and the former church official.
Ms. Han’s late husband, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, was a remarkably successful evangelist and self-proclaimed messiah. Born in what is now North Korea, he founded the Unification Church in 1954.
The Rev. Moon cultivated his church, officially known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, into a vast international movement with adherents spanning South Korea, Japan, the United States, and numerous other countries. The organization commands substantial real estate and business interests, including construction firms, beverage companies, ski resorts, newspapers, and educational institutions. It is perhaps most famously recognized for its grand mass weddings, where thousands of individuals, often from diverse nationalities, are paired by the church.
In a significant development this past March, a Tokyo court ordered the disbandment of the church’s Japanese branch. This decision came after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by an individual holding a deep resentment against the church. The subsequent investigation brought to light allegations that the Unification Church coerced its members into donating funds to conservative politicians, often leading to severe financial distress for its followers.