SEOUL: South Korean prosecutors on Thursday requested an arrest warrant for the leader of the Unification Church, Han Hak-ja, on allegations of bribery linked to the country’s former first lady and incitement to destroy evidence.
The move came a day after the 82-year-old was questioned over her alleged role in bribing former first lady Kim Keon Hee and a prominent lawmaker.
Founded in 1954 by her late husband Moon Sun-myung, the Unification Church has long been the subject of controversy and criticism, with its teachings centered on Moon’s role as the Second Coming, its mass weddings and a cult-like culture.
Followers are derisively referred to as “Moonies.”
But the church’s reach extends far beyond religion, spanning businesses from media and tourism to food distribution.
Han assumed leadership of the church after Moon’s death in 2012.
“We have requested an arrest warrant for Han earlier today,” said prosecutor Park Sang-jin.
“The charges against her include violation of political funds act, anti-graft law, incitement to destroy evidence and embezzlement,” he added.
“We considered the risk of Han tampering with evidence to be very high, which led us to seek the warrant.”
A court is expected to review the validity of the warrant request early next week.
Han is suspected of ordering the delivery of luxury gifts including a designer handbag and diamond necklace to Kim in 2022 to curry favor with her husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, who became president that year.
The former first lady has been arrested and indicted on charges of bribery and stock-market manipulation, while her husband – also in custody – is standing trial over his declaration of martial law in December.
The couple fell from grace after Yoon’s martial law declaration briefly suspended civilian rule, before it was overturned by opposition MPs in December.
Yoon was impeached and removed from office in April over the attempt.
Han also faces allegations of bribing a prominent MP with 100 million won ($72,000).
A Seoul court issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday for the lawmaker, Kweon Seong-dong, citing the risk he could tamper with evidence.
Han, who was wheeled out of the prosecutors’ office after more than nine hours of questioning, denied wrongdoing.
“Why would I have done that?” she said when asked about the allegations.
Prosecutor Park also said Han had denied committing any crimes during the Wednesday questioning.
