It has been revealed that Kim Keon-hee, Yoon Suk-yoel’s wife, was the person who asked the Unification Church to organize mass membership in the People Power Party ahead of the party’s national convention in March 2023 in order to support a specific candidate.
Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki’s team believes that, in return for such support, the Unification Church lobbied former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s camp on various issues and sought to realize its ideology of “unity of politics and religion.”
According to the indictment of Yoon Mo, former head of the Unification Church’s World Headquarters, obtained by Yonhap News on the 1st, church leader Han Hak-ja had emphasized since 2019 that her will should be reflected in state affairs, advocating a “unity of politics and religion.” Based on this, the Unification Church pursued projects such as hosting the UN’s 5th Secretariat in Korea, developing the Mekong Peace Park in Cambodia, and establishing a DMZ Peace Park.
Yoon designated then-People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol as the “right person” in the 2022 presidential election. He reportedly provided 100 million won in political funds to Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, requesting that Unification Church policies be reflected in national policy. In February of the same year, Kweon met leader Han directly and confirmed the group’s support. Just before the election, Yoon arranged a meeting between candidate Yoon Suk-yeol and former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to stage international backing.
The special counsel stated that the Unification Church’s influence continued even after Yoon was elected president. In particular, it was through the shaman Jeon Seong-bae (known as “Geonjin Beopsa”) that concrete ties between First Lady Kim and the church were forged. The indictment notes that in November 2022, Kim requested Yoon Mo, via Jeon, to arrange the Unification Church’s mass membership in the People Power Party ahead of its convention.
Yoon was connected to Kim through Jeon shortly before the presidential election and even received a personal message of thanks from her. The special counsel concluded that Yoon thereby secured “two-track” communication channels: one through Rep. Kweon Seong-dong’s faction, and another through Kim Keon-hee and Jeon Seong-bae. The special counsel also views gifts, such as Chanel bags delivered to Kim via Jeon, in this context.
The investigation team analyzed that Kim’s direct involvement in the mass membership request provides concrete evidence of collusion between the Yoon administration and the Unification Church. It is expected that her role and influence will emerge as key issues in the ongoing investigation.
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