It has been confirmed that a court accepted testimony stating that Han Hak-ja, the president of the Unification Church, “was extremely pleased and had tears well up and run down her face” after being informed that Yoon Young-ho, the church’s former global headquarters director, had met President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol. The ruling reflects an active assessment of Han’s role in the Unification Church lobbying case against the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and is expected to affect the trial outcomes of Han, who is currently detained, and Jung Won-joo, former chief of staff to the church president.
According to a report by Hankyoreh on the 29th, the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 27 (Presiding Judge Woo In-seong), which sentenced Yoon Young-ho to one year and two months in prison and Kwon Seong-dong, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, to two years in prison, found both defendants guilty of violating the Political Funds Act and stated that the charges were “amply proven.” The court found that on March 22, 2022, Yoon Young-ho met then-president-elect Yoon Suk Yeol while Kwon was present, and that after receiving a report of this meeting, Han “expressed great joy, with tears welling up and flowing down her face,” while Jung “cheered and applauded beside her.” These accounts were presented as key evidence.
The court also cited the organization’s internal reporting system, noting that Yoon regularly received written reports from continental, national, and district leaders, organized them, and delivered special reports to Han every morning starting around 7 a.m., sometimes lasting up to three hours. It further acknowledged testimony stating that Jung, as Han’s chief of staff, assisted her at close range and routinely attended Yoon’s reports to Han, and that at Han’s direction, Jung at times retrieved cash and other items from the inner quarters of Cheon Jeong Gung. These statements were recognized as corroborating the indictment.
Earlier, the Special Prosecutor’s Team led by Min Joong-ki secured testimony from Yoon stating that he reported to the church president during a morning briefing about meeting lawmaker Kwon, after which Han gave him 100 million won in cash and instructed him to deliver it to Kwon. Yoon also testified that he remembered receiving the cash in a shopping bag. Investigators further obtained testimony that prior to approaching Kwon in earnest, around November 2021, Yoon had contacted both conservative and progressive political camps because “the president had not yet made a decision.” After delivering the cash to Kwon, text messages were also secured in which Yoon stated, “The donation was made after Mother’s decision. For now, Kwon was given support at a level of trust that day.”
Based on a comprehensive review of this evidence, the court concluded that Yoon’s solicitation activities were effectively carried out under the direction of Han and with the involvement of Jung.
The court also found Yoon guilty of embezzlement in the course of his duties. Regarding a “Graff diamond” necklace given to First Lady Kim Keon-hee, the court stated that Han instructed Yoon to present the necklace, referring to “the status of the nation’s mother” and “the dignity of the nation’s mother.” In addition, concerning Yoon’s delivery of a Chanel handbag to Kim on July 5, 2022, in violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, the court cited testimony that Jeon Seong-bae (known as “Geonjin,” a shaman figure) said a request had come from Kim’s side suggesting that a gift related to overseas trips would be appropriate. Yoon reported during a morning briefing that he would present Kim with a handbag and Cheonsu ginseng in connection with the overseas tour, which the court accepted as grounds for a guilty verdict.
In response to the court’s guilty ruling, the Unification Church of Korea issued a statement the same day, asserting that Yoon Young-ho testified in a manner suggesting approval from the church president in order to deflect responsibility. The church argued that during the first-instance trial, there was no adequate procedural structure to fully present counterevidence or opposing testimony. It stated that as a result, the question of whether Han had issued instructions or granted approval was not substantively addressed, and that there was no factual basis for such a conclusion. The statement added that it expects future court proceedings to clearly establish that Han did not direct or approve the alleged crimes.
韓鶴子 鄭元周 尹煐鎬 李信恵
李信恵(이신혜)는 尹煐鎬(윤환호)의 아내로 家庭聯合(가정 연합)이 李信恵를 公金横領(공금횡령)으로 告訴(고소)했다.
李信恵(イーシネ)は尹煐鎬(ユンヨンホ)の妻で、家庭聯合が李信恵(이신혜)を公金横領で告訴済み。
Lee Shin-hye is Yoon Young-ho's wife, and the Korean Family Federation has filed a lawsuit against Lee Shin-hye for embezzlement of public funds.
李信惠是尹英浩的妻子,韓國家庭聯合會已對李信惠提起訴訟,指控其挪用公款。
「韓鶴子在接獲與尹錫悅會面之報告後,因過於喜悅而落淚」
據確認,統一教前世界本部長尹煐鎬供述稱,其向統一教總裁韓鶴子報告自己已與尹錫悅總統當選人會面後,韓總裁「極為高興,眼含淚水並側向流下」,該供述已獲法院認定。此一判斷是在以尹錫悅政權為對象的統一教遊說事件中,對韓總裁的角色作出積極認定,並被認為將對目前被拘押中的韓總裁以及前總裁秘書室長鄭元周的審判結果產生影響。
29日,據《韓民族日報》採訪報導,首爾中央地方法院對尹前本部長與國民力量黨議員權性東分別判處有期徒刑1年2個月及2年之實刑,並認定兩人違反政治資金法之嫌疑,對起訴事實表示「可以充分認定」。審判庭提出的依據包括:尹煐鎬前本部長於2022年3月22日,在權議員同席的情況下,與當時仍為當選人的尹前總統會面並交談;韓總裁在接獲該報告後「極為高興,眼含淚水並側向流下」;以及前秘書室長鄭元周「在一旁歡呼並鼓掌表示喜悅」。
此外,法院亦提及內部報告體系,認定相關供述為佐證起訴事實的證據,包括:「平日尹前本部長會接收來自大陸會長、國家會長、教區長等的書面報告並加以整理,每天早上約7時起,以特別報告形式向韓鶴子女士報告,時間長時可達約3小時」;以及「鄭元柱作為韓總裁的秘書室長,在極近距離輔佐韓鶴子女士,尹前本部長向韓鶴子女士報告時基本上都會同席,並曾依韓鶴子女士指示,從天正宮內室取出現金等物」。
在此之前,閔中基特別檢察團在調查尹前本部長時,取得其供述稱:「在晨會時向總裁報告將與權性東議員會面一事後,被交付1億韓元現金,並被指示轉交給權議員」;以及「我記得是將1億韓元現金放入購物袋中交付的」。
此外,尹前本部長亦供述稱,在2021年11月左右、尚未正式接近權議員之前,「因韓總裁尚未作出決斷,因此同時接觸保守與進步兩方」;而在交付1億韓元現金之後,亦留下訊息表示:「(政治獻金)是在母親作出決定之後,總之當天先對權議員提供了信任層級的支援」。審判庭綜合上述證據後,認為尹前本部長所進行的請託行為,實質上是在韓總裁的指示以及前秘書室長鄭元周的參與下完成。
審判庭亦認定尹前本部長涉嫌業務侵占,並就交付給金建希夫人的「格拉夫鑽石」項鍊一事指出:「韓鶴子曾對尹前本部長提及『國母的位相』『國母的品格』,並表示是否應將項鍊贈與金建希,從而指示進行贈與」。此外,對於尹前本部長於2022年7月5日向金夫人交付香奈兒包包的嫌疑(違反請託禁止法),法院亦根據相關供述作出有罪判斷。該供述指出:「全成培乾進法師表示,金建希方面曾提出希望就海外訪問行程贈送禮物的請求,因此在晨會時報告將配合海外訪問,向金建希贈送包包與天壽參」。
對於法院的有罪判斷,統一教韓國協會當日發表聲明表示:「尹煐鎬為免除自身責任,作出彷彿已獲總裁批准的供述。然而,在一審審判程序中,並未形成能充分提出相反證據與證言加以爭辯的結構。」並強調:「最終,並未處理韓總裁是否曾作出指示或批准的問題,也未作出實質性判斷。關於韓總裁未曾指示或批准相關犯罪之事實,期待能在今後的審判過程中得到明確釐清。」