Unification Church leader questioned for several hours on bribery allegations

Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, center, leaves special counsel Min Joong-ki's office in central Seoul on Wednesday, after undergoing questioning over bribery allegations linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee. Yonhap

Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja was grilled for several hours by a special counsel team Wednesday over allegations of bribery linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee.

Han arrived at special counsel Min Joong-ki's office in central Seoul, propped up by an assistant, at about a quarter to 10 a.m., after snubbing three earlier summonses over what she said were health issues following a heart procedure. Her questioning went on from 10 a.m. to about 4:45 p.m., and Han left the building at around 7:30 p.m. after reviewing her testimonies.

According to sources, the special counsel team had a questionnaire that ran some 50 pages long, and Han fully cooperated without exercising her right to remain silent.

She is suspected of colluding with a former church official in 2022 to hand 100 million won ($72,400) to People Power Party Rep. Kweon Seong-dong in exchange for his help in gaining favors for the church in the event of Yoon Suk Yeol's election as president later that year. Yoon went on to win the election.

Han is also suspected of involvement in gifting a luxury necklace and Chanel bags to Yoon's wife, Kim, while requesting favors the same year.

"I wasn't feeling well," Han told reporters when asked why she did not comply with the earlier summonses. "I'm not well after surgery."

Han was accompanied by her doctor and nurse, and an ambulance was on standby in the building's underground parking lot in case of a medical emergency. Han left the building in a wheelchair.

When asked by reporters why she had given the cash to Kweon, Han replied, "Why would I need to do that?"

Han gave the same response to a question regarding gifts to Kim.

When pressed if she had directly ordered the delivery of those gifts, Han yelled, "No."

Han's side has denied her involvement in the alleged bribery, saying it was carried out by the former church official alone.

Kweon, meanwhile, was placed in custody earlier in the day after a court issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of receiving the 100 million won.

Han's appearance came after the special counsel team indicated it could seek a warrant to detain her.

During a regular press briefing, the team noted she chose to appear unilaterally without prior consultation after seeing her "accomplice" put under arrest, in an apparent reference to Kweon.

"Going forward, we plan to strictly handle this case in accordance with the principles and procedures set by law," assistant special counsel Kim Hyong-kun said, a remark interpreted as signaling the team's intent to file for an arrest warrant.