The one-year-six-month prison sentence for former Unification Church world headquarters chief Yoon Young-ho, indicted on charges of providing money and valuables to First Lady Kim Keon-hee to lobby on a Unification Church matter, has been finalized.
The Supreme Court's Third Division (presiding Justice Oh Seok-jun) on the 9th affirmed the lower court ruling that sentenced the former Deputy Minister Yoon to one year and six months in prison on charges including embezzlement in the course of duty, violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, and violating the Political Funds Act.
The former Deputy Minister Yoon was brought to trial on charges of delivering two Chanel bags worth 20 million won to Kim through "Geonjin," Jeon Seong-bae, and providing money and valuables including a Graff necklace worth 62.2 million won.
On Jan. 5, 2022, before the presidential election, he is also accused of providing 100 million won in illegal political funds to People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, known as a "Yoon core insider," while requesting support for a church event.
In the first trial, the former Deputy Minister Yoon was sentenced to one year and two months in prison, but in the second trial, the court found him guilty of all charges of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act and the Political Funds Act and sentenced him to one year and six months.
The charge that the former Deputy Minister Yoon embezzled Unification Church funds to buy the bags and the necklace received a partial not-guilty ruling in the first trial but was found guilty in the second trial.
Kim and lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong were indicted on charges including receiving illicit money and valuables from the former Deputy Minister Yoon and were each sentenced in the second trial to four years and two years in prison, respectively. The appeals trial at the Supreme Court is underway.
On the same day, the Supreme Court finalized the lower court ruling that sentenced Jeon to five years in prison. With the convictions of Jeon and the former Deputy Minister Yoon finalized, some observers say the likelihood has grown that the lower court judgments convicting Kim and lawmaker Kweon will stand as is.