The Seoul Central District Court has sentenced Han Hak-ja, leader of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification — commonly known as the Unification Church — to a total of two years in prison for offences linked to political funding and bribery, Reuters reported on 31 August.
Han, 83, was convicted on two counts: one year for violations of the Political Funds Act relating to alleged payments to a then-ruling party lawmaker ahead of the 2022 presidential election, and a further year for involvement in providing luxury goods to the former first lady through an intermediary. The court found the acts were part of efforts by the church to expand its political influence.
Court finding and sentence
The judgment said the church used its financial resources to back a candidate in the 20th presidential election with the aim of expanding its influence and securing support for its policies once that candidate assumed office. The court noted transfers of money and the provision of expensive items, including designer goods and jewellery, to members of the presidential household.
"The crimes were committed to use the Unification Church's financial power to support a favourable candidate in the 20th presidential election, seen as an important opportunity to expand the church's influence, and, when that candidate was elected, to obtain support for church policies and continuously secure political influence," the judge said.
Han denied wrongdoing in court, maintaining she had no interest in politics and asserting that subordinates acted without her knowledge. The Family Federation said it would appeal, arguing the court wrongly concluded Han had directed or approved the illegal acts.
Context and implications
The conviction forms part of a wider inquiry by a special prosecutor's team that investigated alleged abuses connected to former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, who have been the focus of multiple probes since Yoon's removal from office following his December 2024 declaration of martial law. The case has received intense public scrutiny because it raises questions about the role of religious organisations in political financing and the integrity of electoral contests.
Key factual points from the ruling include:
- Sentence: two years' imprisonment total (one year for political funding violations; one year for involvement in providing luxury goods).
- Alleged payments: involvement in providing 100 million won to a then-ruling party lawmaker ahead of the 2022 presidential election (about $72,934, according to Reuters).
- Gifts: luxury items reportedly channelled to the former first lady through an intermediary, including high-end designer bags and a diamond necklace.
Han, who appeared in court using a wheelchair, was not detained immediately after sentencing because her lawyers had previously secured a suspension of detention on health grounds, the reporting added.
What this means for accountability
The judgment emphasises two perennial challenges in democracies: the transparency of political funding and the influence that well-resourced organisations can exert on elected officials. For regulators and prosecutors, the case is a test of existing laws governing political donations and gifts to public office-holders, and of the mechanisms available to investigate and remedy improper influence.
It also underlines how high-profile probes can intersect with broader political crises — in this instance, the fallout from a former president's disputed actions and removal from office. The church's intention to appeal means the legal fight is likely to continue, and any reversal or modification on appeal would shape interpretations of the Political Funds Act and related accountability norms.
For observers of comparative politics, the episode offers a reminder that churches and other civic actors can become entangled in political manoeuvring, sometimes with legal consequences when boundaries between lawful advocacy and illicit support are crossed.
