Yoon Young-ho Sentenced to 18 Months on Appeal in Unification Church Lobbying Case; Term Increased by Four Months

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[The Financial News] Yoon Young-ho, the former Unification Church World Headquarters Director who was sentenced to prison for delivering expensive gifts, including a Chanel bag, to First Lady Kim Keon Hee in an effort to lobby for church-related matters, was also handed a prison term on appeal.
The 6-1 Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court, presided over by Judges Kim Jong-woo, Park Jeong-je and Judge Min Dal-gi, sentenced Yoon on the 27th to a total of 18 months in prison on charges including violations of the Anti-Graft Act, the Political Funds Act and embezzlement in the course of duty. The court imposed six months for the Political Funds Act violation and one year for the Anti-Graft Act violation and embezzlement, in line with sentencing guidelines.
First, the court rejected the defense's claim that evidence had been unlawfully obtained. Yoon's side argued that during the search and seizure by the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, the alleged lobbying to Kim Keon Hee was listed as part of the criminal facts, but investigators also took a diary entry about delivering 100 million won to People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, so the material should not be treated as lawful evidence.
The court, however, said there was "an objective connection between the criminal facts in the first and second search warrants and the seized items," adding that "the evidence is admissible, and the derivative evidence, including the spouse's statement, is also admissible." It said the timing of the lobbying to Kweon, who was then part of Yoon's core circle, was not so separate from the first search and seizure, which took place just before Yoon Suk Yeol was elected president. The court also noted that Yoon had tried to reach Yoon Suk Yeol through a two-track approach, using both Kweon and Geonjin Beopsa Jeon Seong-bae, which supported the connection.
The defense's claim that Geonjin Beopsa had pocketed the Graff necklace was also rejected. Yoon's side argued that Jeon Seong-bae did not pass on the Graff necklace he received from Yoon to Kim Keon Hee and instead kept it for himself. As grounds, it cited Kim's repeated denials and Jeon's changing statements. The court said that although Jeon gave false statements to investigators, his explanation that he had to lie to cover up the falsehood and later told the truth in court was plausible. Taking into account the statement of Jeon's brother-in-law and the reasons the guarantee card was not delivered, the court said the evidence supported a guilty finding.
The appeal court also overturned part of the lower court's ruling. In April 2022, the first trial court had not viewed the Chanel bags and other items Yoon delivered to Kim Keon Hee as embezzlement in the course of duty, but the appeals court reversed that finding. In particular, it overturned the first court's refusal to recognize intent to unlawfully gain possession. The court explained that "there is no essential difference in the illegality of using church funds to give gifts to a spouse in order to lobby the president-elect, even before the inauguration." It said the same principle should apply to religious organizations, just as it does when company funds are illegally used for corporate profit.
However, the charge related to destruction of evidence in connection with Hak Ja Han Moon, President of the Unification Church, and her overseas gambling was dismissed because it was not subject to the special counsel investigation. The court also said Yoon's cooperation with investigators qualified as a reason for sentence reduction under the Kim Keon-hee Special Counsel Act.
The court said, "He formed a personal relationship by giving expensive luxury bags and a necklace to Kim Keon Hee on three occasions, and then sought policy support related to the president's duties for various Unification Church projects," adding, "The offense is especially serious because it targeted the spouse of the president-elect, whose integrity is expected to be even more strictly upheld after the election. Regardless of whether the requests made by the Unification Church were actually realized, the crimes in this case alone severely undermined public trust and expectations for the fair implementation of national policy."
Yoon is also accused of giving 100 million won in cash to Kweon ahead of the 2022 presidential election, with the intent of helping Yoon Suk Yeol's campaign by providing election funds and supporting him through organized voting by Unification Church members. He was also charged with delivering luxury bags, Cheonsusam Concentrated Ginseng Tea and a Graff necklace to Kim Keon Hee through Jeon Seong-bae in April and July of that year. In addition, he is suspected of destroying related evidence after learning in advance around October 2022 that police were investigating allegations of overseas gambling by Unification Church executives.
theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter