A particular counsel workforce investigating alleged collusion between the Unification Church and former first girl Kim Keon Hee has estimated the variety of church believers who joined the then ruling Individuals Energy Celebration (PPP) forward of its 2023 management election to be round 2,000, judicial officers stated Thursday.
The estimate was disclosed by particular counsel Min Joong-ki’s workforce on Nov. 7, when it moreover indicted Kim, shaman Jeon Seong-bae and Unification Church chief Han Hak-ja on costs of violating the Political Events Act.
Min’s workforce concluded that Kim and Jeon conspired to recruit a lot of Unification Church members to help a selected candidate within the PPP management election in 2023 in trade for providing authorities coverage favors and proportional illustration seats within the Nationwide Meeting to the church.
The workforce additionally suspects that the recruitment plan proceeded with the consent of Han and a former church official surnamed Yun.
The Political Events Act criminalizes the supply of advantages to marketing campaign officers and others for the aim of getting a selected particular person elected in intraparty aggressive elections.
The workforce believes that Kim and Jeon devised the plan to recruit Unification Church believers to the PPP round November 2022, with the intention to help Rep. Kweon Seong-dong. However the goal of their help was believed to have modified to Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon after Kweon determined to not run for the celebration management.
The particular counsel workforce is reportedly investigating Rep. Kim as effectively, suspecting that his spouse delivered a luxurious reward to the previous first girl in return for help within the PPP management election. Rep. Kim was elected PPP chair in March 2023.
Former first girl Kim, underneath arrest since August, has been standing trial on costs of involvement in inventory worth manipulation schemes, meddling in candidate nominations for elections and taking bribes from the Unification Church in trade for favors. Han has been in custody since September over costs of bribing Kweon in 2022 in trade for his assist in gaining favors for the church.
