"Hak Ja Han Moon, Unification Church leader, faces 13-year prison term in religious-political collusion case... 'Violation of the spirit of the Constitution'"

[Financial News] The Kim Keon Hee Special Prosecutor Team, led by Special Counsel Min Joung-kie, asked the court to impose a heavy sentence on Hak Ja Han Moon, the Unification Church leader who was brought to trial as the alleged center of the religious-political collusion case.
Criminal Division 27 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Woo In-seong, held a sentencing hearing on the 10th for Hak Ja Han Moon and others on charges including violations of the Political Funds Act.
The special prosecution team first requested a total prison term of 13 years for Hak Ja Han Moon, whom it described as the "center" of the religious-political collusion. Specifically, it sought five years for the Political Funds Act violation and eight years for the remaining charges.
The team said, "As a key figure in Unification Church doctrine, she was the final decision-maker on major affairs and the ultimate beneficiary of the religious-political collusion." It added, "Because the material and human resources of a religious organization under her control were privatized and traded for political power, leading to a distortion of state affairs, she must be held to correspondingly strict accountability." It also noted, "The defendant effectively used the inmate visitation system and the bail system as tools to 'serve the church leader,' raising suspicions of preferential treatment."
It further said this was "a serious crime that directly violates the constitutional principle that religion and politics must be separated and undermines representative democracy."
For Jeong, the former chief of staff to the church leader, and Yoon Young-ho, the former head of the church's world headquarters, the team sought prison terms of 10 years and 3 years and 6 months, respectively.
For Lee, Yoon's wife and a former finance chief at the Unification Church, the prosecution sought a three-year prison term.
The team criticized the defendants, saying, "They aimed to realize 'the unity of religion and politics' and used vast financial resources to collude with political forces, interfere in elections and politics, and improperly use public power." It added, "They carried out the crimes in a reckless and brazen manner, such as delivering political funds to lawmakers close to the president and making various improper requests."
Regarding Jeong, it said, "As Hak Ja Han Moon's closest aide, he always attended briefings from senior officials and actively assisted major decision-making, thereby exerting influence." It added, "He minimized his own position by claiming he was merely a secretary and denied the crimes, so the nature of the offense is not light."
Regarding Yoon, it said, "He committed the crimes to expand the Unification Church's influence and his own power, so the offense is serious. However, the sentence was already finalized in a separate appeal case, and his cooperative attitude during the investigation should be considered a favorable factor."
Hak Ja Han Moon is accused of delivering 100 million won to People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong through Yoon Young-ho, then head of the Unification Church's world headquarters, in 2022. She is also accused of being involved in delivering Chanel bags and other items to First Lady Kim Keon-hee through Jeon Seong-bae, known as a shaman, between April and July that year in order to lobby on church matters, in violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. In addition, she faces charges of embezzling church funds to buy the Chanel bags and other items, and of instructing Yoon Young-ho to destroy evidence in preparation for an investigation into allegations that she had engaged in overseas gambling.
[email protected] Jeong Kyung-soo Reporter