On July 8, the special prosecutor team led by Min Jungki, which is investigating allegations related to First Lady Kim Keonhee, conducted a search and seizure operation at the National Police Agency.
The special prosecutor's team told the media, "We are executing a search and seizure warrant at the National Police Agency," and explained, "This is a cooperative measure to obtain investigation-related materials."
That afternoon, investigators were also sent to the Security and Intelligence Division of the Chuncheon Police Station, where they executed a search and seizure warrant, including forensic analysis of computers. Although the search and seizure warrant was formally executed, it is interpreted that the team coordinated with the police to have the materials effectively submitted voluntarily, taking into account investigative efficiency and convenience.
Through this search and seizure, the special prosecutor's team is reported to have secured police investigation records regarding the Unification Church leadership's alleged overseas gambling activities.
This investigation appears to aim at clarifying suspicions that, after police intelligence was passed on to the Unification Church, the church lobbied influential political figures close to former President Yoon Sukyeol in an attempt to quash the investigation.
In June 2022, the Chuncheon Police Station launched an investigation after receiving intelligence that Unification Church President Han Hakja and other executives had engaged in gambling worth 60 billion won at casinos in Las Vegas, United States, between 2008 and 2011.
However, suspicions later arose that police intelligence was passed on to the Unification Church and that the investigation was derailed due to the involvement of so-called "Yoonhaekgwan" (key associates of Yoon Sukyeol).
These suspicions surfaced when a recorded conversation between former Unification Church World Headquarters Director Yoon Youngho, who was considered the church's second-in-command at the time, and an acquaintance was made public.
In the recording, Yoon stated, "The 'highest-ranking official' said it was a violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act. We were told to prepare in case a search and seizure is conducted," and, "A Yoonhaekgwan informed us about the police's intelligence investigation, and I reported it to higher-ups."
The special prosecutor's team plans to launch a full-scale investigation into whether the Unification Church was actually aware of the police investigation in advance and whether lobbying activities were carried out to block it.
The allegations of a cover-up of the Unification Church's overseas gambling investigation first came to light during the prosecution's investigation into the "Geonjin Bopsa solicitation allegations," and were subsequently transferred to the special prosecutor's team along with the Geonjin Bopsa case.
Yoon Youngho was also identified as the person who handed over an expensive necklace and bag as "gifts for the First Lady" to Jeon Seongbae, also known as Geonjin Bopsa, while requesting the handling of Unification Church matters.
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