The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday sentenced Yun Young-ho, a former senior official of the Unification Church, to a year and two months in prison on charges of embezzling church funds and bribing key political figures, including former first lady Kim Keon Hee.

“Regardless of whether the Unification Church’s requests were realized, the crime itself violated the public’s trust in the fair execution of state policy,” the court said.

The special counsel investigating corruption allegations involving the former first lady had sought a four-year prison term for Yun, accusing him of embezzling church funds to bribe Kim with Chanel handbags and a luxury necklace in an effort to advance the church’s policy interests.

Yun was also charged with bribing then-People Power Party Floor Leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong.

“As the Unification Church’s second-in-command, the defendant orchestrated the crimes under the direction of church leader Han Hak-ja,” the special counsel said in its final statement.

The court upheld the special counsel’s claim that Yun illegally provided 100 million won ($69,000) to Kweon and delivered luxury goods to Kim through Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman known to be close to the former first couple.

In return for the gifts, the Unification Church sought government support for a development project in Cambodia, the acquisition of news broadcaster YTN, the hosting of a fifth United Nations Secretariat office in Korea, and invitations for church officials to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s inauguration, according to the investigation.

However, the court said it had taken into account Yun’s cooperation in uncovering the truth and the fact that the crimes were committed to further the interests of the Unification Church rather than his own.

Legal observers say the verdict could offer an early indication of how courts may assess the liability of church leader Han Hak-ja, who has characterized Yun’s actions as a “personal deviation” and denied issuing instructions or intervening in the matter.

Source Link: https://koreaherald.com/article/10664874