Shinchonji mobilized 56,000 adherents to join PPP, Unification Church funds went to at least 132 political figures, probe finds

A joint police-prosecution team ended a 237-day investigation into alleged ties between religious groups and politicians Monday after indicting 32 people and seizing 26 billion won ($19 million) from safes belonging to Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja.

The investigation focused on allegations that Shincheonji Church of Jesus directed tens of thousands of followers to join the conservative People Power Party, while the Unification Church used church funds to make illicit donations to politicians.

Shincheonji leader Lee Man-hee was among four church officials indicted while in custody. Twelve others connected to the group were indicted without detention.

Sixteen people linked to the Unification Church, including Han, were also indicted without detention. Six of them face summary proceedings, which allow a court to impose fines without a full trial.

The joint team was established Jan. 6 to investigate allegations of political interference, tax evasion and embezzlement involving the two religious groups.

In a separate case Monday, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Han to a combined two years in prison. She received one year for violating the Political Funds Act and another year for embezzlement.

The court found Han guilty of providing 100 million won in illicit political funds to former People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong and using church money to buy luxury gifts for former first lady Kim Keon Hee.

Investigators said Lee and former church Secretary-General Go Dong-an directed Shincheonji followers to join the People Power Party between 2021 and 2024 to increase the church’s political influence.

The enrollment drives took place ahead of the 2022 presidential and local elections, People Power Party leadership elections and the 2024 parliamentary elections, according to the investigation team.

Shincheonji leaders set enrollment targets for regional branches and checked their performance, investigators said. At least 56,472 followers joined the party during the period.

The investigation team raided 56 locations, including Shincheonji’s headquarters and the People Power Party’s headquarters, and questioned about 200 people.

Investigators also concluded that Shincheonji evaded 7.57 billion won in corporate and value-added taxes between 2016 and 2020 by operating stores at 70 regional churches under followers’ names and maintaining separate accounting records.

The Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office closed the tax case without bringing charges in 2021. The joint team reopened it this year and brought additional charges against Lee, a former church business official, and Shincheonji itself.

Go was also accused of embezzling about 1.9 billion won in church funds under the guise of legal expenses and fraudulently collecting 4.1 billion won from 12 regional branches for an unauthorized real estate project.

In a separate case linked to this year’s local elections, prosecutors indicted a Shincheonji official and a supporter of a preliminary candidate on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act.

They are accused of enrolling about 30 followers in the Democratic Party of Korea in an attempt to influence its primary for Goyang mayor.

Investigators said the Unification Church used church funds to make 189 million won in illicit donations to at least 132 politicians on 219 occasions between 2019 and 2025.

The donations were part of an organized effort to increase the church’s political influence, the investigation team said.

Three former church officials, including former international headquarters chief Yun Young-ho, were indicted on charges of violating the Political Funds Act and embezzlement. Six lower-level members face summary proceedings.

Investigators examined whether Han and former Chief Secretary Jeong Won-ju were directly involved in the political donations but closed that part of the investigation because of insufficient evidence.

A separate financial investigation found that four church officials, including Han, Jeong and Yun, allegedly embezzled about 10.5 billion won in church funds between 2017 and 2025.

Investigators said the officials diverted the money by falsely recording expenditures as financial support for overseas missionaries or leaving cash donations out of the church’s accounting records.

The team separately seized 26 billion won from safes in Han’s bedroom and other locations. Investigators are seeking a court order to preserve the assets for possible forfeiture.

The team also closed an investigation into allegations that Busan Mayor Chun Jae-soo received money or valuables from the Unification Church while serving as a lawmaker. Police declined to refer the case to prosecutors, who returned the investigation records without bringing charges.

Four of Chun’s former aides were indicted on evidence destruction charges for allegedly damaging computer storage devices before a search.

The Unification Church apologized Monday for causing public concern but accused investigators of treating religious offerings as embezzled funds.

The church said the cash in Han’s safes consisted of religious gifts voluntarily given by followers and church organizations.

“Han Hak-ja did not use the funds for personal gain but used them for public purposes, including missionary work, in accordance with the wishes of those who donated the money,” the church said.

The church expressed strong regret that investigators had disregarded its religious traditions and portrayed the offerings as money embezzled for personal use.

The joint team said the investigation was the first to establish how a religious group sought to influence a political party’s decisions by mobilizing its members on a large scale.

Investigators said they also uncovered financial irregularities within religious organizations that provided money for illicit political donations.