Formal trial for Unification Church leader to begin in December
Han Hak-ja (in wheelchair), leader of the Unification Church, appears at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul to attend a hearing on the legality of her arrest over charges of bribery linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee, Sept. 22. Yonhap
The formal trial for Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, who is accused of bribery linked to the administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, will begin in December, a court said Monday.
The first hearing will be held Dec. 1 and be followed by one to two hearings a week, the bench overseeing the trial at the Seoul Central District Court said during a preparatory hearing.
An additional preparatory hearing will be held Nov. 18, it said.
Han was indicted by a special counsel team earlier this month on charges of violating the Political Funds Act and the anti-graft law, among other offenses.
She is accused of colluding with a former church official surnamed Yun to hand 100 million won ($69,700) to People Power Party Rep. Kweon Seong-dong in January 2022 in exchange for his help in gaining favors for the church in the event of Yoon's election as president. Yoon went on to win the election in March that year.
Han is also suspected of involvement in gifting a luxury necklace and Chanel bags to Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee, while requesting favors, embezzling the church's money to purchase the gifts and ordering the destruction of evidence ahead of a police investigation into her alleged overseas gambling.
A preparatory hearing is held to hear the opinions of the prosecution and the defendant and schedule future proceedings before the formal trial. It does not require the defendant's attendance.
Han, who is currently in custody, still appeared for the session.