KRW 26 Billion Seized from Safe... 32 Indicted in 'Church-State Collusion' Probe

[Anchor]

The Joint Investigation Headquarters for Church-State Collusion Corruption, which has been investigating allegations of collusion between the Unification Church and Shincheonji, has concluded its eight-month investigation. The joint probe seized KRW 26 billion in church funds embezzled by Unification Church leader Hak Ja Han for political funding and personal luxury purchases, and indicted a large number of Shincheonji figures, including Chairman Lee Man-hee.

This is reporter Jeon Yeonnam.

[Reporter]

A safe resembling a wardrobe is hidden in a corner of the wall.

The shelves inside and the travel bags are packed with bundles of cash.

This is the KRW 26 billion in cash that the joint investigation headquarters found and seized in May from the bedroom of Unification Church leader Hak Ja Han at Cheonjeonggung in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province.

The joint probe concluded that leader Han, Chief of Staff Jung Won-ju, and former Global Headquarters Director Yoon Young-ho embezzled church property to provide illegal political funds and purchase luxury items, and indicted 16 people, including leader Han, on charges of embezzlement.

This comes seven months after the investigative team was launched in January.

Regarding Shincheonji, the joint probe indicted 16 people in total, including detaining and indicting four individuals such as Chairman Lee Man-hee.

The joint probe explained that Shincheonji forced more than 56,000 followers to join the People Power Party from 2021 to 2024 to resolve church pending issues, and had some 30 followers join the Democratic Party as members ahead of the June 3 local elections this year to help elect a preliminary Democratic Party candidate for Goyang mayor.

However, by indicting a large number of officials from only the Unification Church and Shincheonji, the joint probe did not indict a single current or former politician, including former Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo, who had been suspected of receiving money and valuables.

The Unification Church side claimed that the embezzlement charges against leader Han were an overzealous application of the law, arguing that the funds in the private safe were religious offerings voluntarily contributed by followers and were used exclusively for public purposes such as missionary activities.

[Video Editing: Kim Jong-mi]
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.