The special counsel team investigating various allegations against former first lady Kim Keon Hee on Friday conducted search and seizure operations of the Unification Church’s facilities and offices of former People Power Party floor leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong.
The raids were carried out in connection with Kim’s alleged acceptance of a diamond necklace made by Graff worth some 60 million won ($43,000), and Chanel bags worth a combined 20 million won from a high-ranking church official surnamed Yoon in 2022.
The church and Yoon had reportedly asked for several favors from the ex-first lady in return for the gifts, which were delivered through Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman widely known as Geon Jin. The favors allegedly included support for the church’s overseas projects, its now-failed acquisition of broadcaster YTN, and an invitation to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s inauguration ceremony in 2022.
The team led by prosecutor Min Joong-ki sent investigators to the church’s global headquarters in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, and its Seoul headquarters in Yongsan-gu in the morning to secure related documents and computer files.
Other locations raided on Friday included the residence of Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja in Gapyeong as well as two offices of People Power Party Rep. Kweon, located in the National Assembly in western Seoul and his constituency of Gangneung, Gangwon Province.
The special counsel probe into the former first lady has recently expanded its investigation to cover suspicions that Han received the help of an unidentified aide of former President Yoon to derail the police investigation into an illegal gambling case involving the church’s leadership. Han and some of the church’s leadership members are accused of spending nearly 58 billion won of the church’s funds on gambling in Las Vegas from 2008 to 2011. South Korean law does not allow its citizens to gamble at casinos, except in a few places approved by the government.
The special counsel team recently raided a police station in Chuncheon, about 75 kilometers northeast of Seoul, to secure investigation records tied to Han and the church leadership’s gambling case.
Rep. Kweon’s offices were raided due to allegations that he was one of the connections between the Unification Church and former President Yoon. Kweon allegedly asked Yoon to attend an event hosted by the Unification Ministry held in 2022.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
