Seoul: Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja underwent questioning by a special counsel team Wednesday over bribery allegations linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee for the first time since her arrest earlier this week. Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team grilled Han for more than four hours over the allegations in connection to Kim -- the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol -- after she was brought to its office in a justice ministry vehicle.
According to Yonhap News Agency, it marked Han's first appearance before the team after she was put under custody upon the issuance of an arrest warrant early Tuesday. Han is accused of colluding with a former church official surnamed Yun to hand 100 million won (US$71,600) to People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Kweon Seong-dong in 2022 in exchange for his help in gaining favors for the church in the event of Yoon's election as president. Kweon was at that time considered one of those closest to Yoon, who went on to win the presidency.
She is also suspected of involvement in gifting a luxury necklace and Chanel bags to Kim, requesting business favors, embezzling the church's money to purchase the gifts, and ordering the destruction of evidence to Yun ahead of a police investigation into her alleged overseas gambling. Han has denied any knowledge of the bribery allegations, saying they were carried out by the former church official alone.
Min's team is also looking into allegations that Han gifted shopping bags containing cash to Kweon between February and March 2022, as well as suspicions that Unification Church followers joined the PPP en masse ahead of the 2023 party leadership race to back Kweon. Kweon, who has also been placed under custody over the allegations, underwent questioning by Min's team earlier in the day. He reportedly indicated he would decline to answer the team's questions shortly after the session began.