Police is under investigation on the 22nd into the Unification Church over allegations of receiving money and valuables, summoning the sect's finance and accounting officials.
The Korean National Police Agency's special task force on this day questioned two Unification Church officials about indications that church funds flowed to political figures in the form of in-kind goods or cash.
The Unification Church officials questioned by police that day included the wife of former Unification Church world headquarters Deputy Minister Yun Young-ho, who served as the church headquarters' director of finance from 2020 to 2023 and is identified only as Lee, and an accounting practitioner identified as A. Lee is on trial, designated as an accomplice to former Deputy Minister Yun and President Han Hak-ja on charges of occupational embezzlement in connection with alleged attempts to cultivate ties with the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.
Police also plan to question as a reference witness on the 23rd a person surnamed Cho, who was Lee's superior.
Police are focusing on allegations related to former Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Chun Jae-soo. Around 2018, the former Minister is suspected of accepting 20 million won in cash and a luxury watch valued at 10 million won from the Unification Church side. In cases of violations of the Political Funds Act, the statute of limitations is seven years.
Since its launch on the 10th, the task force has questioned nine suspects and reference witnesses, including the former Minister, who faces bribery and Political Funds Act violation charges.
Police plan to interview Unification Church President Han Hak-ja, who is being held in custody, again on the 24th. Han underwent about three hours of an interview on the 17th. At that time, police were said to have asked only about the portion related to the former Minister among the three political suspects.