The special counsel investigating Kim Keon-hee sought four years in prison and a forfeiture of 100 million won for People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, who has been detained and indicted on charges of receiving 100 million won from the Unification Church.
At the sentencing hearing for Kweon's Political Funds Act violation case held before the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 27 (Presiding Judge Woo In-seong), the special counsel sought the sentence as above.
Special Counsel Park Sang-jin said, "As a senior member of the National Assembly, the defendant has a duty more than anyone else to uphold constitutional values and protect the people's rights and interests, yet by colluding with a specific religious group and receiving 100 million won in political funds, the defendant damaged constitutional values and betrayed the public's trust," adding, "It did not end with taking political funds; the defendant provided a conduit for a religious group to exert influence over politics and allowed its interests to be reflected."
Park continued, "In the process, the free political order, the foundation of democracy, collapsed as the religious group intervened in the presidential election and the party leadership election," and argued, "A heavy sentence is unavoidable because the defendant attempted to destroy evidence during the investigation and has shown no remorse."
The special counsel stated that in Jan. 2022, during the 20th presidential race, Kweon received 100 million won in illegal political funds along with a request that, if Yoon Suk-yeol were elected president, the administration push the denomination's pending issues as national policy, in exchange for promises from former Unification Church World Headquarters head Yoon Young-ho to provide congregants' votes and organizational support. Yoon, the former headquarters head, has also been detained and indicted.
Kweon's side denied receiving any money. The attorney said, "The defendant met Yoon Young-ho, the former head of the Unification Church World Headquarters, for the first time and had no relationship of trust," adding, "It is unlikely the defendant would accept money from someone entirely unknown."
The defense also argued, "The prosecutor found a diary that suggested money had been given and, after obtaining Yoon's statement, fixated on pursuing Kweon's detention procedures while failing to investigate the possibility that Yoon's statement was false, simply believing Yoon Young-ho's account." The attorney added, "We live in an era when, if you carry a 2-kilogram shopping bag, an employee or anyone else can film it and spread the word," and said, "It defies common sense to think that a defendant known to everyone would walk out carrying 100 million won out of greed."
Kweon was taken into custody on Sept. 16 and was sent to trial under detention on Oct. 2. He applied for bail on the 12th, and said the bail hearing would be held after the sentencing hearing concluded that day.