Luxury Gifts Under Scrutiny: Special Prosecutor Raids Unification Church Tied to Former First Lady

Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki’s team, investigating various allegations involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee, raided Unification Church facilities and officials on Friday. The raid was connected to Kim’s alleged acceptance of luxury gifts from the religious group three years ago.

Prosecutors and investigators were dispatched to the church’s international headquarters in Gapyeong, 55 kilometers northeast of Seoul, and its Seoul headquarters in the Yongsan district. Their mission was to secure documents and computer files related to the suspected gift delivery to Kim.

The team also searched the residences of Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja and a high-ranking church official central to the alleged gift scandal involving Kim.

The special counsel has been investigating claims that Kim received a diamond necklace and an expensive bag from a senior Unification Church official through a shaman. This allegedly occurred between April and August 2022, shortly after Yoon Suk Yeol’s presidential election victory in March of the same year.

Reports suggest the church official sought business favors from the Yoon administration in exchange for the alleged gifts. Earlier this week, the special counsel’s team raided the office of the shaman, Jeon Seong-bae, also known as Geon Jin. Jeon has stated that he received the gifts but subsequently lost them all. (Yonhap)