Unification Church leader Hak Ja Han gets two years in Kim Keon Hee bribery case

South Korean judges sentenced Unification Church leader Hak Ja Han to two years for bribery and corruption linked to Kim Keon Hee. The ruling deepens the legal fallout from Yoon Suk Yeol's presidency as the church vows to appeal.Stock photo used for illustrationA South Korean court on Monday sentenced Hak Ja Han, the 83-year-old leader of the Unification Church, to two years in prison on bribery and other corruption charges linked to former first lady Kim Keon Hee and allies of ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol.The Seoul Central District Court said Han, the widow of church founder Sun Myung Moon, was convicted of violating the political funds law, bribery and embezzling church funds. The case is part of a wider investigation into allegations surrounding Yoon's presidency after his removal from office.Han was arrested in September 2025 and later charged with colluding with church officials to give luxury goods to Kim when Yoon was in office in pursuit of political favours. She was also charged with giving lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, a Yoon loyalist, 100 million won (USD 73,000) months before Yoon's inauguration in May 2022.Earlier this year, Kim was given a four-year prison term by an appeals court for receiving a Graff diamond necklace and two Chanel bags from the Unification Church, and for stock price manipulation, a charge unrelated to the church. On Monday, the Seoul court also sentenced one church official to six months in prison and gave two others suspended terms for their roles in Han's case. The lawmaker received a two-year sentence at South Korea's Supreme Court in July. Despite Monday's ruling, Han remained out of prison because the court had earlier accepted her request to suspend her arrest on health grounds until September 2. A team of investigators led by special prosecutor Min Joong-ki had sought a 13-year prison term for her.Han is revered by followers as "True Mother" and is the top leader of the Unification Church, officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. In a statement on Monday, the organisation said it deeply apologised for causing "big concerns and disappointment to the people", but said it could not accept the ruling against Han and would appeal. The church, widely known for mass weddings, was founded in 1954 by Moon, who preached new interpretations of the Bible and conservative family values, and grew into an international movement with business interests around the world. Moon died in 2012 at the age of 92. In Japan, a Tokyo court last year ordered the revocation of the church's legal status after the government accused it of manipulative fundraising and recruitment practices that spread fear among followers and harmed their families. The order came after a man who admitted killing former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 said he wanted to expose Japanese politicians' ties to the church.Investigations in South Korea into the church-linked scandal began after Yoon was removed from office following a Constitutional Court ruling in April 2025 over his imposition of martial law, which plunged the country into turmoil. His successor, Lee Jae Myung, appointed three special prosecutors to investigate Yoon's martial law and other allegations from his presidency. In February, Yoon was sentenced to life in prison for rebellion in connection with the martial law. On December 3, 2024, Yoon abruptly declared martial law and sent troops and police to the National Assembly, saying he wanted to eliminate "anti-state forces" and "shameless North Korea sympathisers". The measure lasted six hours before he was forced to withdraw it after the Assembly unanimously voted it down. Yoon has said it was a desperate attempt to rally public support for his fight against the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which he said was obstructing his agenda.Monday's ruling against Han adds to the series of court decisions tied to the scandal around Yoon's presidency, with the Unification Church saying it will challenge the verdict while the wider fallout from the martial law episode and the church's political links continues.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 31, 2026 16:14 IST