The leader of the Unification Church, Han Hak-ja, stated on the 31st that there has been no direction given for any illegal political solicitation or financial transactions regarding allegations related to former President Yoon Suk-yeol's wife, Kim Keon-hee.
On the same day, Han noted in a statement titled "Special Message from the True Mother," which was presented to Unification Church leaders and members worldwide, that "false information is being spread that our church provided illegal political funds under my direction."
The message was delivered in a format where Han personally relayed his greeting while an internal broadcaster of the Unification Church read the message. Han is the wife of Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Universal Peace Federation (Unification Church).
The special investigation team probing Kim Keon-hee is looking into allegations that Kweon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, met Han before and after the 2022 presidential election, bowed deeply to her, and received a shopping bag believed to contain valuables.
There are also allegations that the imprisoned former head of the Unification Church, surnamed Yoon, received 100 million won from the lawmaker. There are suspicions that Yoon was involved in handing over expensive diamond necklaces and Chanel bags to Kim Keon-hee through Jeon Seong-bae, known as "Geon-jin Beopsa," to solicit church-related matters between April and July 2022.
The special investigation team for Kim Keon-hee is expected to summon Han soon as a suspect to confirm the facts.
On the 28th, the special investigation team for Kim Keon-hee applied for an arrest warrant against Kweon on charges of violating political funding laws. Currently, procedures for parliamentary consent for Kweon's arrest are ongoing.
Kweon stated on Facebook on the same day that "some media, the special investigation team, and the Democratic Party are making a big fuss over the fact that I visited the Unification Church during the presidential election period," adding, "While the visit and greeting were indeed facts, I did not receive any valuables."