Unification Church raided as investigators target ex-first lady

The headquarters of the Unification Church is surrounded by clouds in Gapyeong, a county in Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yonhap

The special counsel team investigating allegations against former first lady Kim Keon Hee raided premises belonging to the Unification Church on Friday, intensifying a probe into claims that she received luxury gifts from a church official in exchange for business favors.

Investigators executed search warrants at the group’s headquarters in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, its main Seoul office and the residence of a former senior church official surnamed Yun. He is accused of giving a Chanel handbag and jewelry to an associate of the former first lady between April and August 2022, during the presidency of her husband, Yoon Suk Yeol.

The investigation also points to the associate, Jeon Seong-bae ― also known as Geon Jin, a shaman close to Kim ― who is suspected of acting as an intermediary in the delivery of the gifts.

In exchange, the Unification Church is alleged to have sought government support for its business ventures, including backing for a Mekong River development project in Cambodia, the acquisition of cable news channel YTN and invitations to high-profile state events such as the presidential inauguration.

Jeon has admitted to receiving those items from Yun, the church official, but claims to have lost them. So far, investigators have failed to recover the handbag or other items in question. Yun claimed his attempts to deliver the gifts to Kim, via Jeon, were approved by Han Hak-ja, the leader of the Unification Church ― an assertion the church’s leadership denies.

The investigation team is now working to determine whether the group itself was directly involved in these alleged acts of corruption.

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee enters a polling station to vote in the presidential election in Seoul, June 3. Joint Press Corp

The investigation has also broadened to look into claims that politicians close to the former president attempted to interfere with a police investigation targeting some leaders of the Unification Church over alleged illegal gambling in Las Vegas between 2008 and 2011.

The same day, the special counsel team searched the home and offices of Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, former floor leader of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) and the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

Kweon, an ally of the former president, is suspected of having received secret support from the Unification Church during the PPP leadership race in 2023. Ultimately, Kweon decided not to join the contest, and Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon was elected chairman with backing from the pro-Yoon faction.

Investigators are investigating suspicions that Kweon may have served as a key intermediary between the church and Yoon’s wife.

The raid on the NIS is tied to Kim Sang-min, a former prosecutor with close ties to Kim Keon Hee. Investigators are looking into the circumstances of Kim Sang-min’s appointment as a special legal adviser to the spy agency — an appointment that followed his unsuccessful bid for a PPP nomination in a constituency of Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, ahead of the April 2024 general elections. Investigators suspect that Kim Keon Hee may have used her influence to facilitate his nomination bid.