Yun Younger-ho, the previous head of worldwide operations for the Unification Church, departs from the Seoul Central District Court docket on July 30, 2025, after showing earlier than a choose reviewing a warrant for his detention. (Yoon Woon-sik/Hankyoreh)
Court docket proceedings have revealed that the Unification Church, which actively sought to determine ties with political events forward of the 2022 presidential election, had its sights set on the 2027 presidential election. The church’s inner assembly information confirmed that the group deliberate to determine a foothold in politics through the 2022 election, then produce a president within the subsequent election.
Minutes from a Unification Church continental chairpersons’ assembly held on Oct. 14, 2021, have been disclosed throughout a listening to Friday on the trial of church chief Han Hak-ja and others on expenses of violating political funding legal guidelines held on the Seoul Central District Court docket.
Throughout this assembly, Park Younger-bae, the regional chief for District 5 of the church, said, “We should safe the proper to appoint Nationwide Meeting members to safe a foothold within the Blue Home. Constructing this basis is on no account straightforward, however that is the extent to which we should go to determine a steady basis.”
“It is going to be potential to strive our luck within the presidential race if we proceed on this method within the lead-up to 2027,” Park added.
Joo Jin-tae, District 1’s chief, agreed. “Our aim is to have advisers within the Blue Home. Second, we should safe the proper to appoint Nationwide Meeting members, whether or not in ruling or opposition events. To try this, we want insurance policies, votes and funds,” he stated.
“Due to this fact, we should construct our basis earlier than 2027,” Joo stated. “That is what we’re dreaming of.”
All these remarks suggest that the church had a aim of controlling the presidency in 2027.
After disclosing these information, the particular counsel prosecuting the case questioned as a witness Eom Yun-hyeong, the director of the “new unified Korea division” on the Unification Church’s world headquarters.
When requested about why remarks about presidential elections or parliamentary nomination rights have been made on the assembly of a non secular group, Eom replied after a quick pause.
“It was a state of affairs the place district heads have been contemplating and discussing plans according to the insurance policies Yun Younger-ho was selling on the time,” he stated. Yun is the previous director-general of the Unification Church’s international headquarters.
“I feel it was carried out in accordance with [Yun’s] needs,” Eom said.
Throughout Friday’s listening to, it was additionally urged that the choice and orders for the Unification Church’s lobbying of political figures didn’t come from Han, however from her second-in-command, Jeong Gained-ju, in addition to Yun Younger-ho.
A former worker of the church’s international headquarters took the witness stand on Friday.
“In 2017, money was additionally offered as lobbying funds for prosecutors. Wanting on the particular assist funds for lobbying, Jeong’s signature is there,” the previous worker testified. “Han couldn’t have recognized in regards to the specifics. Jeong and Yun deliberate every thing. But, Jeong has not been held accountable a lot [in court]. I hope the presiding choose will look into this matter once more.”
When the particular counsel requested whether or not Han had given normal instructions within the preliminary stage, then had Yun and Jeong formulate the actionables, and whether or not Yun and Jeong would have wanted Han’s approval to proceed, the witness responded, “Han by no means provides solutions. After somebody stories to her and if she doesn’t hear them or perceive, she summons Jeong or the [church] basis’s chair. As soon as the subordinates reporting to her depart, she asks, ‘What was that about?’”
“The paperwork can’t be seen as a mirrored image of Han’s opinion. They’re the work of Jeong or different subordinates,” the previous worker stated.
That is according to the Unification Church’s declare that Han obtained updates on church proceedings via Jeong studying particular stories to the church chief in particular person. This implies that Han can’t be seen because the precise decision-maker. Nonetheless, the previous worker additionally said, “We’re a non secular group, so Yun has no alternative however to report back to Han.”
“Calling [the lobbying scandal] the results of Yun’s ‘private misconduct’ is absurd,” the witness pressured.
By Lee Na-young, employees reporter
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