Police have completed an investigation into Song Kwang-seok, who served as chair of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF), an organization under the Unification Church. Song is regarded as a figure who acted as a conduit between the Unification Church and the political sphere in the Church's alleged lobbying scandal.
According to police and others on the 25th, Song underwent questioning as a suspect on allegations of violating the Political Funds Act for about 14 hours from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on the 24th at the Korean National Police Agency headquarters in Seodaemun District, Seoul.
Appearing before police that day, Song entered the building without giving any particular answer to reporters' question, "Did you intervene in the Unification Church's lobbying of politicians?", and after the questioning, he avoided reporters and exited the building.
Police believe Song likely acted as a conduit in the process of Unification Church funds being delivered to former Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Chun Jae-soo, former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lim Jong-sung, and former United Future Party lawmaker Kim Kyu-hwan, among others.
Separately, Song is also said to be suspected of illegally donating 1 million to 2 million won each to some 10 politicians from both ruling and opposition parties in early 2019. Police believe Song received money from the Unification Church headquarters under the pretext of subsidies for subordinate organizations and used it for lobbying.
Song not only served as UPF chair and head of the Unification Church Korea Association, but also chaired the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), an organization supporting members of the National Assembly, from 2018 to 2020.
Song is also said to have appeared multiple times in a special report document called TM (True Mother) compiled by former global headquarters chief Yun Young-ho on key Unification Church pending issues, including content that he met former lawmaker Lim.
Police also visited the Seoul Detention Center from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. that day and questioned Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja for three hours. However, questioning has reportedly not been conducted for Yun, the former headquarters chief who is at the starting point of these allegations.
In addition, on the 23rd, police raided the headquarters of Bulgari Korea in Seocho District, Seoul, to verify the purchase record of a watch allegedly worth around 10 million won that the Unification Church side purportedly delivered to Democratic Party lawmaker Chun Jae-soo in 2018.