Ex-Unification Church official expected to name DPK lawmakers at embezzlement trial

Yun Young-ho, the former head of the Unification Church's global headquarters, appears at the Seoul Central District Court, July 30. Yonhap

A former Unification Church official embroiled in a corruption case linked to the administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to use his final trial hearing Wednesday to name the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmakers he claims took money from the church, sources said.

Yun Young-ho, former head of the church's global headquarters, is set to appear at the Seoul Central District Court for his 4 p.m. trial on embezzlement and other charges. Yun is accused of giving luxury gifts to former first lady Kim Keon Hee, Yoon's wife, in exchange for business favors in 2022.

A key focus is whether he will use his closing arguments to name the DPK-affiliated officials and lawmakers he claims was approached by the church during the administration of former President Moon Jae-in.

The disclosure would deal a severe blow to the DPK and the administration of President Lee Jae Myung, which have framed special counsel investigations into Yun and church leader Han Hak-ja as a case of corrupt ties between a religious group and the former Yoon administration.

According to the sources who spoke with Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity, Yun has made up his mind to disclose the names at Wednesday's hearing.

He first made the DPK-related claim at a hearing last Friday, accusing special counsel Min Joong-ki's team of conducting a biased investigation focused only on the church's alleged ties to the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) affiliated with former President Yoon.

He testified that between 2017 and 2021, a period when Moon was in office, the church had been closer to the DPK than to the PPP and had approached four people currently serving in ministerial positions, including two who paid visits to church leader Han.

During questioning by the special counsel team in August, Yun also reportedly testified that the church gave tens of millions of won each to two DPK lawmakers between 2018 and 2020.

The special counsel team admitted this week that it received such testimony from Yun but rejected allegations of bias, claiming the matter was not part of its investigation mandate.

On Tuesday, the team transferred the case to the police.