Special Prosecutor Accelerates Unification Church Lobbying Probe: Kwon Seongdong Arrested, Han Hakja Voluntarily Appears

Kwon Accused of Receiving 100 Million Won in Illegal Political Funds Ahead of 2022 Presidential Election
Court Rejects Kwon’s Claim of Innocence
President Han Refused Three Summonses from Special Prosecutor
On Investigation Date, Han Cites Illness
Special Prosecutor Expected to Question Han on Unification Church Lobbying Allegations

Kwon Seongdong, a member of the People Power Party who has been identified as a central figure in the alleged "religious-political collusion" between the Yoon Sukyeol administration and the Unification Church, has been arrested. This marks the first time since the introduction of the special prosecutor system that an incumbent lawmaker, who is protected by parliamentary immunity, has been taken into custody. Han Hakja, the president of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (Unification Church), who is implicated in the same allegations as Kwon, also voluntarily appeared as a suspect on September 17 after refusing three summonses, signaling a critical turning point for the investigation led by Special Prosecutor Min Joongki’s team.

Nam Sejin, the judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, held a detention warrant review for Kwon on the night of September 16 on charges including violations of the Political Funds Act and issued an arrest warrant, citing concerns about destruction of evidence. This is the first case in the 22nd National Assembly where an incumbent lawmaker has been arrested. Kwon has been detained at Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, where former President Yoon Sukyeol is also being held.

◆ Investigation Likely to Expand to Other Lawmakers

Kwon is accused of receiving 100 million won in illegal political funds from Yoon, the former global headquarters director of the Unification Church, in exchange for resolving church-related issues ahead of the 2022 presidential election. The special prosecutor’s team summoned Kwon for questioning on August 28 and requested an arrest warrant the next day. On September 11, the National Assembly approved the motion to arrest him. The arrest warrant application stated, "Political power and religious organizations colluded to manipulate state affairs, interfere in elections, and undermine the judicial order."

During the warrant review, three prosecutors, including the head of the investigation team, presented over 160 pages of written opinions and more than 130 pages of presentation materials to emphasize the risk of evidence destruction. Key evidence included a photo of a Bank of Korea sealed note saved on Yoon’s wife’s mobile phone and a memo reading "one large bill support." Although Kwon maintained his innocence in his final statement, the court did not accept his claim.

Kwon has become the first sitting lawmaker of the 22nd National Assembly to be arrested. With the Kim Gunhee special prosecutor’s team achieving the first arrest of an incumbent lawmaker among the three special investigations (Insurrection, Kim Gunhee, and Private Chae), the investigation is expected to widen to include other lawmakers such as Yoon Hanhong and Yoon Sanghyun. Having secured Kwon’s custody, the special prosecutor’s team is expected to intensify its investigation into the alleged lobbying by the Unification Church. Although Kwon denied receiving illegal political funds from the Unification Church, the court found his explanation insufficient in its initial judgment.

◆ President Han Hakja Faces Comprehensive Investigation

Meanwhile, Han Hakja, who had ignored three previous summonses from the special prosecutor’s team, appeared at the team’s office in KT Gwanghwamun Building West, Jongno-gu, Seoul, at 9:46 a.m. on September 17. When asked by reporters whether she had delivered 100 million won to Kwon, whether she had attempted to cover up an overseas gambling investigation through Kwon, and whether she had instructed that a necklace and bag be delivered to First Lady Kim Gunhee, Han replied, "Thank you for your efforts. Please ask me later."

Han Hakja, the president of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (Unification Church), who had refused to appear three times despite the special prosecutor's summons, is attending the office of Special Prosecutor Kim Gunhee set up at the KT Gwanghwamun Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul on September 17, 2025. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

When asked why the investigation date was set unilaterally, she responded, "I was in pain after surgery. Let’s talk later," and entered the interrogation room with the support of a Unification Church official. With her appearance, Han became the first president of the Unification Church to be publicly summoned as a suspect.

The special prosecutor’s team is expected to conduct a comprehensive investigation based on the testimony and material evidence it has gathered so far regarding the Unification Church allegations. The team plans to question Han about the circumstances under which illegal political funds were provided to Kwon Seongdong, lobbying for church-related issues, and allegations of illegal overseas gambling. Han is also suspected of requesting support for Unification Church matters from the Yoon Sukyeol administration and providing human and material resources at the organizational level. The charges against Han include bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and violations of the Political Funds Act.

Han, who was first summoned on September 8, had previously cited health reasons for not appearing. The special prosecutor’s team notified her again on September 11 and 15, but Han submitted a statement of nonattendance and did not appear. The team stated that Han’s side had repeatedly notified them of her intention not to appear just before each scheduled date and indicated that, after three refusals, they would seek an arrest warrant.

The Unification Church released a statement on September 17, saying, "She has been experiencing difficulties such as decreased oxygen saturation following cardiac surgery," and "Despite medical concerns, President Han is determined not to evade legal procedures."