CIO Raids Special Prosecutor Min Jungki's Office Over Alleged Cover-up in Unification Church Investigation

Mobile Phones of Kim Gunhee Special Prosecutor Team Leadership Targeted

On January 23, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) launched a search and seizure operation targeting Special Prosecutor Min Jungki in connection with allegations of biased investigation into the Unification Church.

Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki of the Special Investigation Team for Fact-Finding on the State Manipulation and Illegal Election Interference Cases Involving Kim Gun-hee, Myung Tae-gyun, and Geonjin Beopsa announced the investigation results on the 29th at the briefing room of the Special Investigation Team set up at the KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul. 2025.12.29 Photo by Yoon Dongju

The CIO’s Fourth Investigation Division, led by Chief Prosecutor Cha Jeonghyeon, dispatched prosecutors and investigators to the office of the Kim Gunhee Special Prosecutor Team, located at KT Gwanghwamun Building West in Jongno-gu, Seoul, from the morning of the same day, as part of an investigation into allegations of dereliction of duty by Special Prosecutor Min. It has been reported that the targets of the search include the mobile phones of Special Prosecutor Park Sangjin and Special Prosecutor Min.

The CIO is currently investigating suspicions that, in August of last year, Special Prosecutor Min Jungki’s team only investigated politicians affiliated with the People Power Party, despite hearing testimony from Yoon Youngho, former head of the Unification Church World Headquarters, that Democratic Party politicians also received money and valuables from the Unification Church.

Previously, in August of last year, the special prosecutor’s team obtained testimony from former headquarters chief Yoon that, around 2018 to 2020, he provided money to Jeon Jaesoo, former Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, as a bribe for resolving church-related issues such as the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel project, but did not initiate an investigation. It was also determined that Yoon testified to having delivered money to former Democratic Party lawmaker Lim Jongseong and former United Future Party lawmaker Kim Gyuhwan, among others.

The special prosecutor’s team did not launch a formal investigation into the ruling party lawmakers, instead only recording the matter in the investigation report. Later, the team determined that those who exchanged money could be charged with bribery or violations of the Political Funds Act, and assigned a preliminary investigation (pre-indictment inquiry) case number.

The special investigation team of the National Police Agency, which received the complaint, transferred the case to the CIO, and the CIO assigned it to its investigation division on the 19th of last month. The CIO recently questioned former headquarters chief Yoon, who is currently detained at Seoul Detention Center, and has previously conducted a search and seizure at the office of Special Prosecutor Min.