Special Prosecutor: "Intervened in the 2023 People Power Party Leadership Election... Mobilized Unification Church Members to Join the Party"
"Promised Government-Level Support and Proportional Representation Nominations for Church Officials to the Unification Church"
Kim Gunhee, who was arrested and indicted on charges including stock manipulation of Deutsch Motors, interference in candidate nomination by Myung Taegyun, and allegations of solicitation and bribery involving the Unification Church, is attending her first trial held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 24th. The special prosecutor team led by Min Junggi has filed additional indictments against Kim Gunhee, Han Hakja, and others on charges of violating the Political Parties Act.
On the 7th, the special prosecutor's office announced that it had additionally indicted Mrs. Kim, President Han, Jeon Seongbae (known as Geonjin Beopsa), Yoon (former head of the Unification Church World Headquarters), and Jeong (former chief secretary to the president of the Unification Church).
The special prosecutor's team has been investigating allegations that, ahead of the People Power Party convention in March 2023, the Unification Church mobilized a large number of its members to join the party in order to support a specific candidate for party leader.
According to the special prosecutor's office, Mrs. Kim and Mr. Jeon, in connection with the People Power Party leadership election in March 2023, promised the Unification Church government-level support and proportional representation nominations for church officials in exchange for mobilizing members of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) to join the People Power Party as members and support their preferred candidate, with the aim of having President Yoon Sukyeol and their chosen candidate elected as party leader. This agreement was made in November 2022 with President Han and others affiliated with the FFWPU.
In August, Mrs. Kim was arrested and indicted on charges of violating the Capital Markets Act (related to the Deutsch Motors stock manipulation case), violating the Political Funds Act (involving interference in candidate nominations by Myung Taegyun), and aggravated bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (involving solicitation and bribery allegations with Geonjin Beopsa and the Unification Church).
President Han was indicted and detained on October 10 on charges of conspiring with Mr. Yoon to deliver 100 million won in political funds to Kwon Seongdong, a People Power Party lawmaker, in January 2022, while requesting government support for the Unification Church under the Yoon administration.
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