Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Chun Jae-soo responds to questions from reporters at a press convention held on the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in Sejong on Sept. 11, 2025. (Yonhap)
Amid revelations {that a} particular counsel probe had secured testimony indicating that present and former Democratic Get together lawmakers had additionally acquired cash from the Unification Church, the Hankyoreh confirmed Tuesday that inside church paperwork explicitly identify former Democratic Get together lawmaker Chun Jae-soo as having delivered a “congratulatory speech” at a Unification Church gathering and agreed to “cooperate” with the church.
The previous head of the church’s worldwide operations, Yun Younger-ho, reportedly testified to the particular counsel that he handed Chun 40 million gained (US$27,219) in money in addition to two luxurious watches. Chun at the moment serves as Korea’s minister of oceans and fisheries.
The workforce of investigators, led by Min Joung-kie and tasked with investigating corruption linked to former first girl Kim Keon-hee, belatedly referred the case to the police.
Based on investigative reporting into the church’s inside and exterior affairs, Yun wrote the next in a Sept. 10, 2018, “Particular Report back to Han Hak-ja,” the church’s chief: “Rep. Chun Jae-soo, who visited Cheonjeong Palace [a sacred site for the Unification Church], additionally attended the Busan District 5 assembly the place about 600 [church members] gathered and delivered a congratulatory speech. He then took a airplane to Seoul.”
Yun wrote that Chun “agreed to actively cooperate with our work.”
The “Particular Report back to Han Hak-ja” is a doc periodically submitted on to the non secular group’s chief — the widow of its late founder, Moon Solar-myung — by high-ranking church officers to tell her on all important points to the church.
Yun testified to the particular counsel workforce in August that he had handed over tens of hundreds of thousands of gained in money and valuables to Chun between 2018 and 2019. The timing of the money supply coincided with Chun’s attendance at inside Unification Church occasions and his promise to cooperate on church issues, a circumstance in step with Yun’s testimony and confirmed within the particular report made to Han.
Chun is a core determine within the Moon Jae-in wing of the Democratic Get together who gained three consecutive phrases in Busan from 2016 to 2024. He was just lately appointed the minister of oceans and fisheries underneath the Lee Jae Myung administration.
Yun reportedly acknowledged to the particular prosecutor that Chun “visited Cheonjeong Palace, met Han, and greeted her. He was given roughly 40 million gained (US$27,219) in money.”
“He was additionally given two watches packed in bins. The lawmaker stated, ‘Can I actually settle for this?’ then took them,” Yun stated.
The Unification Church’s “Cheonjeong Palace.” (pool picture)
Yun claimed the posh watches given by the Unification Church had been Cartier and Bulgari merchandise. Combining Yun’s testimony with inside Unification Church reviews, the particular counsel workforce reportedly concluded that the minister was conscious the presents had been quid professional quo.
This incident mirrors the case of Individuals Energy Get together lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, who was indicted and detained on fees of violating the Political Funds Act for allegedly accepting 100 million gained from the Unification Church.
Nonetheless, Chun denied the allegations when chatting with the Hankyoreh. “I’ve by no means attended a Unification Church occasion, and the allegations that I’ve acquired cash or valuables are utterly groundless,” he stated.
The particular counsel workforce, which obtained this assertion from Yun in August, solely assigned the case an inside investigation case quantity final month. On Tuesday, the workforce introduced that it had “transferred the interior investigation case in regards to the Unification Church’s contact with politicians to the Nationwide Investigation Headquarters [of the National Police Agency] this afternoon.” This comes 4 months after the assertion was taken, probably risking the expiration of the seven-year statute of limitations underneath the Political Funds Act.
By Bae Ji-hyun, workers reporter; Kim Ga-yoon, workers reporter; Kang Jae-gu, workers reporter
Please direct questions or feedback to [english@hani.co.kr]
