Police Conduct Second Day of Raids in Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor Probe... Hak Ja Han to Be Questioned on the 17th

[Financial News] The police investigating allegations of illegal lobbying by the Unification Church have carried out a search and seizure at the office of the Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor Team, led by Min Joong-ki. Authorities have also announced plans to question Hak Ja Han, President of the Unification Church, as part of their accelerated investigation.
According to Financial News coverage on the 16th, the police plan to visit Seoul Detention Center on the 17th to question Hak Ja Han, who is currently being held there. Han has been booked as a suspect on charges of bribery and violations of the Political Funds Act in connection with allegations of illegal political support by the Unification Church.
The police appear to be expediting the investigation to quickly secure key evidence and clarify the scope of the charges. Notably, the statute of limitations for violations of the Political Funds Act is seven years, and since the alleged offenses date back to 2018, the deadline is approaching.
Initially, the police attempted to question Han in person the previous day, but the meeting was postponed at Han's request due to a scheduling conflict with her ongoing trial. The police have rescheduled the interview for the following day.
During the upcoming interview, investigators are expected to focus on whether the 28 billion won discovered in July by the Special Prosecutor Team in Hak Ja Han’s personal safe at Cheon Jeong Gung was used as lobbying funds for politicians.
Previously, from around 9 a.m. to 12:40 a.m. the next day, the police conducted search and seizure operations for approximately 15 hours and 40 minutes at ten locations. These included Cheon Jeong Gung in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, the Unification Church’s Seoul headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, and the residences and offices of political figures such as Jeon Jae-soo, former Minister of Oceans and Fisheries; Jong Sung Lim, former Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker; and Kyuhwan Kim, former United Future Party lawmaker. Authorities reportedly secured numerous documents, including reports and accounting records from around 2018.
The search also included the detention cell at Seoul Detention Center where both Han and Yoon Young-ho, former head of the Unification Church World Headquarters, are held. On the 11th, police had previously questioned Yoon at the detention center to verify the credibility of his testimony in the Special Prosecutor’s investigation and in court.
On the morning of the 16th, the Special Investigation Task Force of the National Office of Investigation, Korean National Police Agency, dispatched officers to the Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor Team’s office at KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to secure additional documents. Given the vast amount of records related to the Unification Church, the police are conducting further searches to collect more evidence, and the Special Prosecutor Team is reportedly cooperating.
The police are also investigating the Special Prosecutor Team following a complaint alleging biased investigation into politicians’ alleged acceptance of funds from the Unification Church. This case has been assigned to the dedicated investigation team and is currently ongoing.
Through these interviews and search operations, the police intend to determine whether Unification Church funds were used for political lobbying and whether there was institutional involvement by the church.
yesji@fnnews.com Kim Ye-ji Reporter