Yun Younger-ho, a former head of world operations for the Unification Church, departs from the Seoul Central District Courtroom on July 30, 2025, after showing earlier than a choose reviewing a warrant for his detention. (Yoon Woon-sik/Hankyoreh)
Yun Younger-ho, the previous head of world operations for the Unification Church, mentioned in an interview with a group of investigators finishing up a particular probe of corruption linked to the previous first woman of Korea that he had “supplied tens of tens of millions of gained price of cash and gadgets to outstanding lawmakers within the Democratic Celebration.”
Yun is presently being held in detention after being indicted on costs of delivering cash and gadgets to former first woman Kim Keon-hee by the use of the shaman Jeon Seong-bae — additionally identified by the title “Geonjin” — whereas making requests.
With Yun equally testifying about assist for Democratic Celebration lawmakers throughout a trial listening to on Friday, the allegations of unlawful lobbying by the Unification Church now seem more likely to unfold to the ruling celebration.
In line with the Hankyoreh’s investigation on Friday, Yun reportedly informed the particular counsel’s group early within the investigation in August that he had supplied tens of tens of millions of gained price of cash and gadgets to 2 outstanding Democratic Celebration lawmakers through the Moon Jae-in administration.
Yun was additionally discovered to have mentioned that the lawmakers in query obtained the cash after assembly with church chief Han Hak-ja throughout a go to to the “Cheonjeong Palace” in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, which is taken into account a sacred web site to the Unification Church.
One of many figures named presently represents a Democratic Celebration constituency within the nation’s southeastern area of Yeongnam, whereas the opposite is now not in workplace. Yun informed the particular counsel group that he had given the previous 40 million gained in money and a watch valued at 10 million gained between the years of 2018 and 2019, whereas the latter was given 30 million gained in 2020. (Ten million gained involves round US$6,800.)
As a result of Yun’s claims got here throughout an interview, no separate assertion file was stored, and the main points have been solely recorded as a part of an investigation report, sources mentioned.
He made comparable statements on Friday throughout a trial on costs of Improper Solicitation and Graft Act violations on the Seoul Central District Courtroom. On the time, he claimed that he had been “nearer to the Democratic Celebration than the [opposition] Folks Energy Celebration between 2017 and 2021.”
He additionally mentioned that two Democratic Celebration figures had “gone to see Han Hak-ja.”
“I talked in regards to the assist [to them] through the investigation as properly. I informed [the special counsel] in regards to the listing of Nationwide Meeting members and the 4 individuals, which included some who’re presently on the Cupboard degree,” he added.
“I talked fairly a bit about this through the interview [with the special counsel] group. It [the Unification Church’s support] was not skewed to the one [PPP] aspect,” he defined.
“We had loads of connections through the Moon Jae-in administration, and I additionally noticed a chief of employees,” he continued.
Along with his testimony, Yun insisted that the Unification Church’s political connections had not been skewed towards one explicit group and that the goal was to “unify South Korean society.” He didn’t explicitly verify offering cash or gadgets, or determine the figures he contacted through the trial on Friday.
The revelation that Yun spoke about offering cash and gadgets to Democratic Celebration members through the particular counsel investigation seems more likely to mark a brand new flip within the investigation into the allegations of political lobbying by the Unification Church. Specifically, questions are anticipated to come up over whether or not the particular counsel group correctly examined the Democratic Celebration throughout its probe, which has solely round 20 days left earlier than it’s scheduled to finish.
The particular counsel’s group didn’t reply to the Hankyoreh’s questions in regards to the matter.
When requested whether or not they had obtained 40 million gained in money and a ten million-won watch from the Unification Church or visited its Gapyeong palace complicated, the present lawmaker whom Yun claimed to have given cash to replied, “That by no means occurred.” The previous lawmaker mentioned they’d “by no means met with Han Hak-ja or obtained any cash from the Unification Church.”
By Kim Ga-yoon, employees reporter; Bae Ji-hyun, employees reporter; Kang Jae-gu, employees reporter; Lee Na-young, employees reporter
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