Police will interview and question Yoon Young-ho, former Unification Church world headquarters chief, who gave key testimony, just one day after forming a special task force to investigate allegations that the church lobbied figures in the Democratic Party of Korea.
The Major Crime Investigation Division of the National Office of Investigation (NOI) under the Korean National Police Agency formed a 23-member task force and launched the investigation on the 11th. All investigators who had been seconded to the special counsel team of Cho Eun-suk, including Senior Superintendent Park Chang-hwan, the Head of Team (chief of the Major Crime Investigation Division), returned and joined the special task force.
The task force decided to visit Seoul Detention Center in the afternoon to meet and question Yoon, the former Deputy Minister, who is in custody. The questioning is expected to be based on what Yoon previously told the special counsel team of Min Joong-ki.
While questioning Yoon, the former Deputy Minister, in Aug., the special counsel team of Min Joong-ki obtained testimony indicating that the Unification Church approached and provided money and valuables not only to figures in the People Power Party but also to those in the Democratic Party. However, it did not move to conduct a compulsory investigation, saying the case was outside the scope of the special counsel's mandate. As this became known belatedly, allegations of a "biased investigation" arose, and only the day before was the case transferred to police.
Police decided to speed up the investigation, taking into account the statute of limitations for prosecution. According to testimony and statements by Yoon, the former Deputy Minister, and Unification Church figures to the special counsel team and in court, the period when money or valuables were allegedly provided to Democratic Party figures was during the Moon Jae-in administration, from 2017 to 2021. If the Unification Church's money or valuables were received by late 2018, the 7-year statute of limitations for violations of the Political Funds Act has already expired or will soon expire.