Special Prosecutor to Summon Unification Church President's Chief Secretary Tomorrow Over "Geonjin Bopsa Solicitation" Case

The special prosecutor team led by Min Junggi, which is investigating various allegations related to First Lady Kim Keonhee, will summon the chief secretary to Han Hakja, president of the Unification Church, in connection with the "Geonjin Bopsa solicitation" case. The investigation is focusing on whether the Unification Church delivered expensive gifts to the First Lady and requested support for major projects during the solicitation process. At the center of the case is whether the church’s top leadership was involved.

According to the legal community on August 7, the special prosecutor’s team notified Han Hakja’s chief secretary, identified as Jeong, to appear for questioning on August 8. Last month, when the special prosecutor’s team raided Unification Church facilities, Jeong was named as a suspect in the warrant. Therefore, this summons is also believed to be as a suspect.

Unification Church Headquarters, Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Yonhap News

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Jeong is suspected of being involved in the delivery of a diamond necklace, a Chanel bag, and other luxury items from the Unification Church to the First Lady via Jeon Seongbae, also known as "Geonjin Bopsa," between April and August 2022. The requests reportedly included support for the Mekong River development project in Cambodia, the acquisition of YTN, attracting the United Nations Fifth Secretariat to Korea, and an invitation to the presidential inauguration.

Yoon Youngho, former head of the Unification Church World Headquarters, who directly contacted Jeon and delivered the gifts, has acknowledged these solicitations, claiming that "all instructions came from the upper echelons of the church, including President Han Hakja." In contrast, the church maintains that Yoon acted on his own without authorization.

Separately, Jeon and Yoon are also suspected of attempting to recruit Unification Church members as party members to support lawmaker Kwon Seongdong during the People Power Party leadership election held in March 2023. The special prosecutor arrested Yoon on July 30 on charges of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, embezzlement, and violating the Political Funds Act.

The special prosecutor’s team is expected to question Jeong intensively about whether the delivery of luxury gifts such as the diamond necklace and the solicitations were carried out at the organizational level of the Unification Church. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, other high-ranking officials, such as President Han Hakja and Lee, chief of the Central Administrative Office, may also be summoned for questioning.

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