Unification Church Leader Hak Ja Han Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison Over Political Collusion

[Anchor]

Unification Church President Hak Ja Han, who has been accused of providing money and valuables to Kim Keon-hee and People Power Party figures, has been sentenced to 2 years in prison in her first trial. The court concluded that Han viewed the presidential election as an opportunity to expand the church's influence and colluded with political forces.

Reporter Jang Hun-gyeong.

[Reporter]

Unification Church President Hak Ja Han, whose execution of detention was suspended for the seventh time due to fracture surgery and other reasons, attended her first-instance sentencing hearing.

Han entered the courtroom without answering questions from reporters.

[Hak Ja Han / Unification Church President : (Do you still think former Headquarters Director Yoon Young-ho acted alone?) …….]

The court acknowledged most of the core indictment charges, sentencing Han to 2 years in prison, while also handing down guilty verdicts to former Chief of Staff Jung Won-ju and former Global Headquarters Director Yoon Young-ho, who were indicted alongside her.

The court determined that Han's instructions and approval were involved in all of the following processes: handing over 100 million won in cash to then-People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong around the time of the 20th presidential election; making "split donations" totaling 144 million won to lawmakers belonging to the People Power Party; and giving a Chanel bag and a Graff necklace worth 75 million won to Kim Keon-hee through Geonjin Beobsa.

The court reprimanded the defendants, stating, "The crime was committed with the purpose of expanding political influence by supporting a favorable presidential election candidate, and the culpability is not light."

However, the court added, "We considered in sentencing that former Headquarters Director Yoon Young-ho appeared to have led the crime, and that Han has worked toward world peace as a religious leader."

Although a prison sentence was handed down, Han was not immediately taken into custody as her execution of detention was currently suspended. Shortly after the ruling, Han's side applied for another extension of the suspension period, and a decision on whether to detain her is expected soon.

The Unification Church stated that Han's complicity cannot be recognized and that they will appeal. The special counsel is also expected to appeal, as the sentence fell far short of the 13-year prison term sought by prosecutors.

(Camera: Yang Hyun-chul, Video Editing: Kim Jin-won)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.