Kim Keon-hee's special counsel has detained Jeon Seong-bae.
On the 21st, Director General Nam Se-jin of the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant against Jeon for charges of bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and violations of the Political Funds Act. Director General Nam stated the reason for issuing the warrant as, "There is a concern of evidence destruction."
Jeon, who had been waiting at the Seoul Detention Center since the morning, is expected to undergo the formal admission process. Jeon stated that he would accept the arrest and did not appear at the pre-arrest interrogation held around 10:30 a.m. On the day of the warrant interrogation, he stayed at the Seoul Central District Court and was later transferred to the Seoul Detention Center.
Jeon's side noted, "I cannot bear the situation where many people are suffering because of me, and since I believe it is only natural for me to face consequences, I have decided to accept the arrest."
Jeon is accused of receiving gifts such as a diamond necklace and a Chanel bag for "Kim Keon-hee's gift" from the Unification Church between April and August 2022 and delivering them to Mrs. Kim. The alleged requests include support for the Unification Church's development project on the Mekong River in Cambodia, acquisition of YTN by the Unification Church, the hosting of the U.N. Office for South Korea, and invitations to the presidential inauguration.
Jeon is also accused of receiving money in the name of prayer fees from various influential figures ahead of the June 2022 local elections and delivering requests related to nominations to so-called "Yoon-haek-gwan" (key associates of Yoon Suk-yeol). Additionally, there are suspicions that Jeon attempted to enroll Unification Church members as party members to support Kweon Seong-dong as the party leader ahead of the People Power Party's convention in March 2023.
The special counsel for Kim Keon-hee, which has secured Jeon's custody, is expected to summon him soon for further investigation. There is also a possibility of interrogating him alongside the already detained Mrs. Kim.