On Oct. 18, it was learned that Special Counsel Kim Keon-hee wrote in the indictment of President Han Hak-ja that the Unification Church spent a little over 500 million won of church funds under pretexts such as paying for precious metals for Han's personal use.
According to a compilation of ChosunBiz reporting that day, the special counsel indicted President Han on Oct. 10 on charges including occupational embezzlement and included this information in the indictment.
According to the special counsel, former Chief of Staff to the President Jeong Won-ju instructed Lee, a former Director General of financial management and the wife of former Unification Church World Headquarters head Yoon Young-ho, once called the "No. 2" in the Unification Church, in May 2022 to "pay 420 million won to S Jewelry for a brooch and earrings to be given to President Han."
Lee said the instructed amount was sent to S Jewelry with personal funds. She then submitted supporting documents as if the expense was related to major Unification Church events, according to the investigation. The special counsel contends that, through this, a total of 534 million won was reimbursed with Unification Church funds.
The special counsel determined that the Unification Church offered a portion of funds raised from donations collected from believers for construction purposes to President Han without accounting for them. The special counsel also believes that, in connection with payments of support funds for the 2027 Project intended for overseas pastors, Lee handed a total of $690,000 (about 900 million won) to former Deputy Minister Jeong.
The special counsel also included in the indictment that President Han used church funds to buy expensive goods to be given to figures including Kim Keon-hee.
The special counsel viewed that the Unification Church gave expensive goods to Kim and others to seek various forms of support to expand President Han's religious interests and influence. The special counsel believes Lee purchased a Graff necklace with personal funds and was later reimbursed with Unification Church funds.
The special counsel also determined that the Unification Church agreed to support then People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol and discussed providing so-called split donations to the People Power Party's metropolitan and provincial chapters. To that end, Unification Church funds were withdrawn under the pretext of mission support expenses and falsely recorded in the accounting books, the special counsel argued. The special counsel concluded that, through this, a total of 210 million won in Unification Church funds flowed into the People Power Party.
The special counsel viewed that President Han and others embezzled a total of 82.93 million won in Unification Church money, including a Chanel bag worth 12.71 million won and a Graff necklace worth about 62.2 million won purchased as gifts for Kim. In addition, one Chanel bag estimated at 8.02 million won and one Cheonsusam concentrated tea of unknown value, believed to have gone to Kim, were also found to have been purchased with Unification Church funds.