Seoul: Former first lady Kim Keon Hee reportedly sought the Unification Church's support to back a particular candidate in the People Power Party's (PPP) leadership election in March 2023, as revealed by an indictment prepared by special counsel Min Joong-ki's team.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a former Unification Church official, identified only by his surname Yun, was involved in discussions with church leader Han Hak-ja. Han had been promoting the ideology of unity between church and state since around October 2019, pushing for various projects and events related to Africa, Cambodia, a Demilitarized Zone peace park, and the establishment of a U.N. secretariat in South Korea.
The indictment outlined that Yun, following Han's guidance, identified Yoon as a favorable presidential candidate who could accommodate the church's policy proposals and foster amicable relations with the church ahead of the 2022 presidential election. It alleges that Yun offered PPP Rep. Kweon Seong-dong 100 million won (approximately US$72,000) in January 2022, with a promise of extensive church support for Yoon in the presidential race, in exchange for government backing of church initiatives in the future.
The document further detailed a meeting on February 8, 2022, between Kweon and Han at her office in Gapyeong, northeast of Seoul, where Han expressed support for Yoon during a church meeting in Seoul on March 2. Moreover, it was alleged that Yun and a shaman, who was close to the former first lady, discussed recruiting a significant number of Unification Church members to support Kweon in the PPP leadership election in March 2023. This recruitment plan was reportedly requested by Kim through the shaman to Yun in November 2022.