howwelldoyouknowyourmoon

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Unification Church faces intensified prosecutorial scrutiny, arrests

By Youngjun Kim July 31, 2025 / 12:31 PM

Photo: Yoon Young-ho, once a high-ranking executive in the church, was formally arrested and detained on allegations of offering bribes and luxury gifts to Rep. Kweon Seong-dong (C), a close ally of former president Yoon Suk-yeol. File Photo by Han-Myung-Gu/EPA

SEOUL, July 31 (UPI) — South Korea’s special prosecutor has significantly expanded its investigation into the Unification Church. The probe now zeroes in on its senior leadership for alleged financial crimes and political meddling.

On Saturday, Jung Wonju, long-time vice president of the Cheon Mu Won, the central administration arm of the church, and executive secretary to Chairwoman Hak Ja Han, returned to Korea under what local media suggest was legal pressure.

Meanwhile, Yoon Young-ho, once a high-ranking executive in the church, was formally arrested and detained on allegations of offering bribes and luxury gifts to Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, a close ally of former president Yoon Suk-yeol.

Yoon is suspected of seeking political favors in return — a charge now at the center of the special prosecutor’s inquiry.

The resignation of Jung Hee-taek, president of the conservative Segye Ilbo newspaper, known to be closely aligned with the church’s inner circle, is viewed as a sign of internal collapse within a power structure once dubbed “Jung Wonju’s kingdom.”

International developments reinforce the mounting legal and moral pressure.

In Japan, a Tokyo court issued a dissolution order against the church’s Japanese branch — formally revoking its tax-exempt status and mandating asset liquidation — after finding that followers were manipulated into making excessive donations through coercive appeals.

In a separate ruling, the Tokyo District Court also approved a request by former followers to provisionally seize the land owned by the church’s Japanese headquarters in Suginami Ward, Tokyo, as security to guarantee future restitution.

The ruling followed revelations surrounding aggressive “spiritual sales” practices and the church’s longstanding ties to Japanese political figures.

At the core of the investigation are detailed records seized from the church — three years’ worth of financial documentation and digital files. Prosecutors are tracing suspicious transactions and political donations, including attempts to influence key lawmakers.

Sources close to the investigation say that formal summonses for Hak Ja Han, Jung Wonju and Lee Cheong-woo, a senior executive, are expected in the coming weeks as the probe enters a critical phase.

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Court OKs provisional seizure of Unification Church's Tokyo HQ land

July 30, 2025 Mainichi Japan

Photo: This file photo taken on March 25, 2025, shows a building housing the headquarters of the Japan arm of the Unification Church, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, in Tokyo's Shibuya district. (Kyodo)

TOKYO (Kyodo) — A Japanese court has approved the provisional seizure of the Unification Church headquarters' land in Tokyo as sought by alleged victims of the entity's aggressive donation solicitation practices, a lawyers' group said Wednesday. •

The 10 people, who are negotiating damages payment by the Unification Church in a separate procedure, filed for the land seizure in June, fearing the church could hide its assets to evade payouts, the group said.

In the decision dated July 18, the Tokyo District Court gave the green light to the seizure, based on a new law enacted in December 2023 to strengthen monitoring of religious corporation assets that could be subject to legal claims.

The law was crafted amid concerns that the Unification Church, which may lose religious corporation status and related tax benefits, could attempt to transfer compensation-liable assets overseas.

The Unification Church was designated as a religious corporation covered by the law in March 2024.

With the seizure, the church can continue its activities at the headquarters' building but cannot sell or donate the land.

While an application for provisional seizure requires collateral, the Japan Legal Support Center, a public organization, provided the financial support based on the law, the group said.

The law strengthens surveillance of a group under the threat of losing its religious corporation status, such as by requiring the entity to give central or prefectural government authorities at least one month's notice of any plan to dispose of assets.

If a notification is not given, the organization is prohibited from any further liquidation.

The Tokyo District Court in March ordered that the Unification Church be stripped of its religious corporation status, as sought by the Japanese government. But the legal proceedings continue, as the religious group has appealed to a high court.

Such a dissolution order, if finalized, would deprive the group, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, of tax benefits as a religious corporation, although it would still be able to continue its activities in Japan.

Following the finalization of the order, a liquidator will dispose of the Unification Church's assets, enabling victims who are recognized as creditors to receive compensation.

Its practices came to the public eye after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022 by a man claiming to hold a grudge against the organization because of financially ruinous donations taken from his mother.

Tetsuya Yamagami, who has been indicted over the shooting, told investigators that he targeted Abe over the role of the politician's grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, in helping establish the Unification Church in Japan in the 1960s.

It was founded in South Korea by [Sun Myung Moon] a staunch anti-communist in 1954.

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'Second-gen’ of Unification Church members in Japan sue for 320 million yen in damages

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'Second-gen' of Unification Church members in Japan sue for 320 million yen in damages

July 24, 2025 (Mainichi Japan)

Photo: A sign for the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, formally the Unification Church, is seen in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in this file photo. (Mainichi)

TOKYO — Eight individuals who are the children of followers of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, formerly the Unification Church, filed a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on July 24 seeking a total of about 320 million yen (roughly $2.19 million) in damages from the religious organization.

These "second-generation" members claim that their parents prevented them from making free decisions and caused them severe psychological harm. The plaintiffs hold the church responsible rather than their parents, arguing that the parents' actions were strongly influenced by the church's teachings.

According to the plaintiffs' attorney, this is believed to be the first class action by second-generation members. The plaintiffs argue, "The church instructed parents to prioritize religious practice over the human rights of their children, severely distorting the environment in which the second generation grew up. These children suffered abusive acts that violated their rights to freedom of religion and marriage, among others."

The issue of second-generation members suffering due to their parents' religious beliefs gained national attention after the July 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Nara. Tetsuya Yamagami, who was charged with murder and other offences in the shooting, reportedly claimed his family was destroyed by his mother's deep involvement with the Unification Church.

(Japanese original by Kumiko Yasumoto, Tokyo City News Department)

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Hiroko Yamasaki (Olympic athlete) joined and left the Moon church

Japanese member, Ms. U, was married to a Korean man who beat her

Japanese member, Ms. K, was forced to marry Korean man she did not like

Why did a Japanese Moon church member kill her Korean husband?

Suicide of Japanese ‘Moon money mule’ in Uruguay; mother of three children

Japanese woman recruited by the Moon church and sold to a Korean farmer

6,500 Japanese women missing from Moon mass weddings

“Apology marriages” made by Japanese UC members to Korean men

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旧統一教会の「宗教2世」が集団提訴　教団に3.2億円の賠償請求

六マリアの悲劇

統一教会に入信して殺されたわが兄

統一教会合同結婚式　日本人妻たちの「肉声」

これが『統一教会』の秘部だ

統一教会の日本人花嫁数千人が韓国農民に宛われた 韓国農民にあてがわれた統一教会·合同結婚式日本人妻の「SEX地獄」

韓国に渡った統一教会日本人女性信者の実態

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Unification Church probe widens; notebook reveals alleged political outreach

By Youngjun Kim

July 25, 2025 / 10:50 AM

A notebook allegedly belonging to former senior Unification Church executive Yoon Young-ho reportedly contains entries describing a phone call made by Jeon Seong-bae, a self-described spiritual adviser with ties to the Unification Church, directly to then–First Lady Kim Keon-hee (shown). File Photo by Tolga Akmen/EPA

SEOUL, July 25 (UPI) — South Korean prosecutors are expanding their investigation into the Unification Church, citing potential violations of political funding and anti-corruption laws.

The inquiry has gained momentum following the emergence of financial records and a handwritten notebook that allegedly documents attempts by Church-affiliated figures to cultivate influence within the country's political establishment.

According to the special prosecutor's team, authorities have obtained and are reviewing three years' worth of the Unification Church's internal accounting data, including donation records, expenditures and other financial documents.

Prosecutors emphasized that the investigation does not concern religious doctrine or faith, but rather the suspected misuse of religious funds for political purposes.

Evidence from former executive's notebook A pivotal piece of evidence surfaced in a report Wednesday by SBS News, which published contents of a notebook allegedly belonging to former senior Unification Church executive Yoon Young-ho.

The notebook reportedly contains entries describing a phone call made by Jeon Seong-bae, a self-described spiritual adviser with ties to the Church, directly to then-First Lady Kim Keon-hee.

According to SBS, the call — made in the presence of Yoon and ruling People Power Party lawmakers Kwon Seong-dong and Yoon Han-hong — included requests for government support of Cambodia-related development projects and other political favors potentially benefiting the Unification Church.

Both lawmakers have denied involvement or knowledge of such requests. Prosecutors are investigating whether the outreach reflected a broader strategy by church affiliates to build political access through informal channels.

Receipts for luxury items found

Separate from the notebook, the special prosecutor's team has reportedly uncovered receipts for high-end luxury items, including a Graff diamond necklace and two Chanel handbags.

These receipts were recovered not from Yoon's personal residence, but from inside the Church's Seoul headquarters — an issue now at the center of a dispute between the Church and its former executive.

In a press release, the Unification Church stated that the purchases were made personally by Yoon, who then allegedly funneled the transactions through Church accounts using his wife, who served as a financial director. Church officials claimed they were unaware of the spending and characterized it as a personal deviation.

In response, Yoon's side asserted that the documents' presence at Church headquarters indicates institutional involvement, not individual misconduct.

"There is no reason for a religious organization's main office to store personal receipts for luxury goods," one legal representative said. Prosecutors, who questioned Yoon for more than 14 hours, are now tracing the flow of funds to determine whether Church finances were used for personal purchases.

Signs of political mobilization

Prosecutors are also reviewing reports that in 2022, Yoon circulated People Power Party membership application forms to Church members, possibly to consolidate political influence. While not illegal per se, the act raises questions about whether the Unification Church directed members' political activity in a coordinated manner.

The investigation has been further bolstered by the acquisition of internal memos and donor records from the past three fiscal years, which could provide evidence of systematic diversion of offerings for political or personal benefit.

Prosecutors clarify: Not a case about faith

On July 18, Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki issued a public statement underscoring the non-religious focus of the probe.

"This is not a probe into beliefs or doctrine," he said. "This is an inquiry into violations of the Political Funds Act, the Anti-Graft Act and related criminal statutes."

In response, the Unification Church issued its own statement Thursday, condemning the investigation as "a clear violation of religious freedom." The Church also accused media outlets of defamatory and distorted coverage and warned of potential legal action against journalists and commentators.

Historical pattern of deflecting accountability

Legal experts and observers point out that this is not the first time the Unification Church has invoked religious liberty in response to mounting scrutiny.

In March, a Japanese court ordered the dissolution of the Church's local corporation, concluding that abusive fundraising practices — including those linked to the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — violated the public interest. The court found that the Church had "coercively exploited religious authority" to solicit excessive donations.

In the United States, the Church lost a 14-year legal battle over UCI, a nonprofit governed by a board under the chairmanship of Hyun Jin Preston Moon, the third son of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

The D.C. Court of Appeals ruled that the case involved questions of religious doctrine and church organization which courts were forbidden to rule on by the religious freedom clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The court, therefore, rejected the Church's power play to assert control over UCI.

Looking ahead

Prosecutors have already summoned Yoon for questioning and are expected to call other senior Unification Church officials in the coming weeks. The inquiry continues to widen as investigators analyze seized documents, financial ledgers and digital communications.

As new allegations emerge, legal analysts note a growing debate in South Korea over how democracies should balance protections for religious freedom with the need to safeguard public accountability — especially if spiritual institutions operate as political or financial actors cloaked in religious legitimacy.

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How Sun Myung Moon bought protection in Japan 1a. The LDP’s Tangled Ties to the Unification Church (2022) 1b. NNLASS press conference held in Tokyo on FFWPU/UC “spiritual sales” (2022)

Richard J. Samuels – Kishi and Corruption:  An Anatomy of the 1955 System (2001)

Parents Form Organization Against New-Religious Sect (1976)

John Roberts – Earth-conquering Moonies (1978)

Kishi wrote a letter to President Reagan to get Moon sprung from jail. (1984)

Unification Church of Japan used members for profit, not religious purposes

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Sun Myung Moon, Hak Ja Han and Won-pok Choi bow to a pig's head in a shaman ceremony.

▲ There is a pig’s head on the altar, in front of the black object. In the Bible the pig is known as a dirty animal. Shaman ceremonies like this, performed by the Moons and Mrs Choi, contradict Christian beliefs. Choi Won-pok, who was known as second mother, is on Moon’s left; Hak Ja Han is on his right. Moon put the two women in the positions of Leah and Rachel, the two wives of Jacob, since he claimed to be restoring ‘Jacob’s course’. The ceremony above may be to liberate or mobilize spirits, or it may be to ask for many children, since pigs have many piglets and, in Korea, represent prosperity.

▲ Here the two wives can clearly be identified. Choi Won-pok is on Moon’s left and Hak Ja Han is on his right. This photo was taken on January 1, 1968 on the occasion of the establishment of ‘God’s Day’ when other shaman ceremonies were performed. They involved six women in two trinities. One trinity was led by Choi Won-pok and the other by Hak Ja Han. LINK

The child may well be Dong-sook who would have been about 12.

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How “God’s Day” was established by Sun Myung Moon in 1968

The Moons’ God is not the God of Judeo-Christianity

Shamanism is at the heart of Sun Myung Moon’s church

Dong-sook, born in 1955 and listed as a ‘True Child’, was married to Sung-jin Moon

Sun Myung Moon’s fourth wife, Won-pok Choi

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K-Pop Demon Hunters is full of Korean culture and language details you might’ve missed. It’s even more enjoyable when you know what’s behind them — from everyday life to deeper layers of culture and history!

Shamanism is at the heart of Sun Myung Moon’s church

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[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

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Unification Church leadership investigated for financial crimes, election interference

July 21, 2025 / UPDATED AT 12:29 PM By Youngjun Kim

Photo: A global mass wedding organized by South Korea's Unification Church and officiated by religious leader Hak Ja-Han (L), was joined by some 4,000 couples worldwide. File photo by Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA

SEOUL, July 21 (UPI) -- South Korea's special prosecutor is intensifying its probe into the Unification Church, focusing on its top leadership over allegations of financial crimes and unlawful political activities.

The team led by Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki conducted a second raid Monday at the church's headquarters in Seoul's Yongsan District, during which investigators seized additional internal records and digital data.

The operation followed a broader crackdown Friday, when authorities searched more than 10 church-affiliated sites, including the Cheon Jeong Gung palace in Gapyeong and the private residence of former church executive Yoon Young-ho.

According to the Hankook Ilbo, the search warrants identified several senior officials as criminal suspects: Han Hak-Ja, the church's current chairwoman; Jung Wonju, executive secretary to Han and vice president of the Cheon Mu Won, the church's highest administrative body; and Lee Cheong-woo, director of the Central Administration Office.

Jung Wonju has emerged as a central figure in the case, with prosecutors focusing on her behind-the-scenes coordination of operations, reportedly enabled by her close ties to Han.

All three are being investigated for alleged violations of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, particularly involving brokered bribery and influence peddling.

Yoon Young-ho is accused of offering cash and luxury gifts to lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong in return for political favors. Rep. Kweon, a close ally of then-presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, allegedly played a key role in facilitating the candidate's appearance at an event hosted by a Unification Church-affiliated organization on Feb. 13, 2022.

Yoon Young-ho served as the co-organizing chair and delivered the opening declaration at the event, raising suspicions that Kweon may have acted as an intermediary between Yoon Young-ho and the Yoon presidential couple.

Beyond the financial and political charges lies a deeper theological rift within the church. According to multiple former insiders, a group of church leaders and members who remained faithful to the original teachings and spiritual mission of founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon were systematically expelled by the current leadership.

These reformers opposed what they described as opportunistic reinterpretations of Rev. Moon's core teachings — altered, they argue, to legitimize the centralization of power and the silencing of dissent, while elevating Han to a quasi-divine status.

Prosecutors are now examining three years of financial records and digital evidence seized during the raids, seeking to trace suspicious financial flows and uncover evidence of systemic wrongdoing. Analysts say the outcome of the investigation may determine not only the legal future of the Unification Church, but also its spiritual legitimacy in the eyes of its followers and the public.

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Hyung-jin Moon: “… Han Mother said, “I am Hananim” … now you must pray to Heavenly Mother”

Hak Ja Han is ‘Female Jesus, the only begotten daughter of God, the LSA’ (October 24, 2015)

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Unification Church scandal expands with raids at more than 10 locations

Large-scale operation marks a significant escalation in a widening political influence scandal involving the church and top government figures.

UPI July 18, 2025 / 6:02 PM

By Youngjun Kim

Photo: Han Hak-ja attends a Blessing Ceremony in Gapyeong, South Korea, in 2020. At the center of growing focus today is Jung Wonju, Executive Secretary to Hak-ja Han. Though Han remains the official spiritual leader, Jung is widely regarded as the church's de facto second-in-command and is believed to have overseen high-level political outreach and internal consolidation of power. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI

July 18 (UPI) — South Korean prosecutors on Thursday executed coordinated raids on more than 10 locations connected to the Unification Church, including its Seoul headquarters in Cheongpa-dong, the Cheonjeonggung Palace in Cheongpyeong, a foundation office in Mapo, and the private residence of former church executive Yoon Young-ho.

The large-scale operation marks a significant escalation in a widening political influence scandal involving the church and top government figures.

During the raid at Cheonjeonggung, Lee Cheong-woo — the church's director of central administration and its third-ranking official — allegedly mobilized approximately 600 young members to physically obstruct investigators. According to JTBC, Lee issued verbal threats and threatened to ram his vehicle into media reporters in an attempt to intimidate and disrupt coverage of the raid.

JTBC also reported that investigators discovered large bundles of cash and high-end luxury items inside a hidden safe, possibly intended for use in lobbying operations.

Prosecutors allege that the Unification Church sought to secure political favors in exchange for luxury goods and financial support, including lobbying for public development assistance (ODA) projects along Cambodia's Mekong River and South Korea's bid to host the United Nations' Fifth Secretariat Office.

The church has denied all allegations, characterizing the investigation as a case of "individual misconduct" by Young-ho Yoon. However, the hierarchical nature of the Unification Church makes it unlikely that Yoon acted alone. Many observers expect the seized materials to provide more definitive evidence implicating higher-ranking officials.

At the center of growing scrutiny is Jung Wonju, Executive Secretary to Chairwoman Hak-ja Han and Vice President of Cheon Mu Won, the Unification Church's highest administrative body. Though Han remains the official spiritual leader, Jung is widely regarded as the church's de facto second-in-command and is believed to have overseen high-level political outreach and internal consolidation of power.

Jung began her rise within the organization as Han's personal hairdresser but gradually leveraged her close relationship with the chairwoman to sideline rival figures and accumulate influence behind the scenes. In recent years, she is believed to have effectively replaced senior leadership, quietly assuming control over key decision-making processes.

She left South Korea for the United States in early June — more than a month before the July 18 raids — reportedly citing her husband's illness. Despite being subject to a de facto travel restriction, she has not returned since. Her prolonged absence is widely viewed as compelling circumstantial evidence of her central role in the alleged scheme.

Further intensifying public scrutiny, Jung's family ties have raised concerns over media influence and nepotism. Her husband's younger brother, Tom McDevitt, currently serves as chairman of The Washington Times, a U.S.-based newspaper with long-standing ties to the Unification Church. Additionally, Jung's younger brother, Hee-taek Jung, is CEO of Segye Ilbo, a major South Korean daily also affiliated with the church.

Critics argue that these familial connections have enabled Jung to exert behind-the-scenes influence over both domestic and international media. Just a day before the raids, The Washington Times published a glowing profile of Chairwoman Hak-ja Han, prompting allegations that the outlet — though publicly operating as an independent journalistic institution — was being privately leveraged to defend and legitimize church leadership amid mounting legal pressure.

As the investigation widens, calls are mounting for Jung Wonju to return to South Korea and face legal proceedings. Many within the broader religious community argue that assuming responsibility is not only a legal duty but a spiritual obligation.

The special prosecutor's office has indicated that additional indictments and arrests are likely as evidence is reviewed. International cooperation may also be sought if Jung continues to remain overseas.

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Unification Church, ex-PPP floor leader’s offices raided in Kim Keon Hee probe

Unification Church's No. 2 executive draws scrutiny over bribery allegations

Special prosecutor begins probe into Unification Church executives

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Unification Church, ex-PPP floor leader’s offices raided in Kim Keon Hee probe

The Korea Herald July 18, 2025

Photo: Special counsel team investigators raid the Unification Church's global headquarters in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday as part of its probe into several allegations surrounding former first lady Kim Keon Hee. In this photo, members of the church are seen protesting against the raid outside its Gapyeong headquarters. Yonhap

The special counsel team investigating various allegations against former first lady Kim Keon Hee on Friday conducted search and seizure operations of the Unification Church’s facilities and offices of former People Power Party floor leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong.

The raids were carried out in connection with Kim’s alleged acceptance of a diamond necklace made by Graff worth some 60 million won ($43,000), and Chanel bags worth a combined 20 million won from a high-ranking church official surnamed Yoon in 2022.

The church and Yoon had reportedly asked for several favors from the ex-first lady in return for the gifts, which were delivered through Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman widely known as Geon Jin. The favors allegedly included support for the church’s overseas projects [including a Mekong River development project in Cambodia], its now-failed acquisition of broadcaster YTN, and an invitation to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s inauguration ceremony in 2022.

The team led by prosecutor Min Joong-ki sent investigators to the church’s global headquarters in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, and its Seoul headquarters in Yongsan-gu in the morning to secure related documents and computer files.

Other locations raided on Friday included the residence of Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja in Gapyeong as well as two offices of People Power Party Rep. Kweon, located in the National Assembly in western Seoul and his constituency of Gangneung, Gangwon Province.

The special counsel probe into the former first lady has recently expanded its investigation to cover suspicions that Han received the help of an unidentified aide of former President Yoon to derail the police investigation into an illegal gambling case involving the church’s leadership. Han and some of the church’s leadership members are accused of spending nearly 58 billion won of the church’s funds on gambling in Las Vegas from 2008 to 2011.

South Korean law does not allow its citizens to gamble at casinos, except in a few places approved by the government.

The special counsel team recently raided a police station in Chuncheon, about 75 kilometers northeast of Seoul, to secure investigation records tied to Han and the church leadership’s gambling case.

Rep. Kweon’s offices were raided due to allegations that he was one of the connections between the Unification Church and former President Yoon. Kweon allegedly asked Yoon to attend an event hosted by the Unification Ministry held in 2022.

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Ex-first lady gift probe takes strange turn — to Vegas gambling by Unification Church leader [Hak Ja Han]

$42M of Donations Gambled Away by Hak Ja Han & Unification Church Leaders in Las Vegas

Hak Ja Han and Sun Myung Moon went nightclubbing in Las Vegas, gambling in Atlantic City and bought a $65 million hotel-casino in Uruguay.

Unification Church’s No. 2 executive draws scrutiny over bribery allegations

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JULY 15, 2025 / 9:15 PM Unification Church's No. 2 executive draws scrutiny over bribery allegations

By Youngjun Kim

Photo: Though Hak-ja Han (pictured at a Blessing Ceremony of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in Gapyeong, South Korea, in September 2017) remains the public face of the Unification Church, insiders and former members describe Won-joo Jung as a behind-the-scenes operator with sweeping authority over the church's administration, finances, and crisis management. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI

July 15 (UPI) — As South Korea's special prosecutor's office expands its investigation into the Unification Church's alleged political lobbying and financial misconduct, rising attention is turning to Won-joo Jung [aka Won-joo McDevitt], deputy director of the Cheonmu Institute — the church's top administrative body.

According to a report by The Hankyoreh, Jung is widely recognized as the de facto second-in-command, operating directly under church head Hak-ja Han.

In a notarized letter to church authorities, Young-ho Yoon, the former director-general of the church's World Headquarters and now under investigation, named Jung in connection with the delivery of luxury gifts — including Chanel handbags and a Graff diamond necklace — to former First Lady Keon-hee Kim, wife of the recently impeached former President of South Korea Suk-yeol Yoon.

The gifts allegedly were funneled through Seong-bae Jeon, a spiritual figure known publicly as "Geonjin Beopsa."

Yoon claimed to submit internal records linking Jung to the operation and requested that she face equivalent disciplinary action. His statement challenges the official church narrative that the gift transfer was merely an isolated case of individual misconduct.

The Hankyoreh reported that Jung, as deputy director of the Cheonmu Institute, is considered internally to be "the effective No. 2 figure in the church hierarchy," suggesting she wields considerable influence over the organization's strategy and finances.

Although subject to a travel restriction, Jung was granted permission to leave South Korea to visit her critically ill husband in the United States. It appears she has not yet returned from the United States to South Korea.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, there is ongoing investigation and growing public demands for accountability. Her prolonged absence amid escalating legal exposure has led to speculation that she may be avoiding potential legal consequences.

While she has not yet been formally indicted, prosecutors are believed to be examining her role in key decision-making processes and internal coordination, including allegations of document destruction tied to ongoing investigations.

Public scrutiny of Jung has intensified due to her close connections to major media outlets affiliated with the Unification Church. Her younger brother, Hee-taek Jung, is currently the president of Segye Ilbo (Segye Times), a South Korean daily owned by the church's media arm. Jung's husband's younger brother is Tom McDevitt, the current chairman of The Washington Times, the U.S. newspaper funded by the church.

These family ties have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the influence of internal media networks in shaping narratives surrounding the ongoing investigation.

Prosecutors have already executed search and seizure operations at the National Police Agency and Chuncheon Police Station on July 8, targeting communications and financial records tied to earlier church-related investigations.

While no formal indictments have been announced against Jung, Special Prosecutor Sang-jin Park confirmed — according to a DongA Ilbo report on July 8 — that his office is preparing to summon senior Unification Church figures, including Won-joo Jung and former World Headquarters director Young-ho Yoon, for questioning as part of its expanding investigation into alleged bribery, embezzlement, and obstruction of justice.

Though Hak-ja Han remains the public face of the Unification Church, insiders and former members describe Jung as a behind-the-scenes operator with sweeping authority over the church's administration, finances, and crisis management. She has reportedly been involved in overseeing responses to allegations involving the misuse of church funds — some of which were allegedly spent on gambling trips in Las Vegas.

Her high-level authority, absence abroad, and looming summons suggest she may be a pivotal figure in unraveling the deeper structure of influence within the church's leadership.

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South Korea’s special prosecutor has formally designated Hak‑ja Han, head of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, popularly known as the Unification Church, as a criminal suspect.

$42M of Donations Gambled Away by Hak Ja Han & Unification Church Leaders in Las Vegas

Ex-first lady gift probe takes strange turn — to Vegas gambling by Unification Church leader [Hak Ja Han]

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Shaman Geon Jin and Unification Church plotted to sway Korean People Power Party’s leadership election 2025.07.16

By Lee Hong-geun, Park Chae-yeon

Photo: A member of Special Counsel Min Joong-ki’s team investigating allegations related to former First Lady Kim Keon-hee enters the Buddhist sanctuary belonging to Jeon Seong-bae, also known as “Geon Jin,” in Gangnam District, Seoul, for a search and seizure on July 15. / Reporter Han Soo-bin

It has been confirmed that Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman also known as “Geon Jin,” and a senior official of the Unification Church discussed a plan to collectively register Unification Church members as party members of the People Power Party (PPP) in order to influence the party leadership election. This discussion reportedly took place ahead of the PPP’s first national convention following the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

Special Counsel Min Joong-ki, who is investigating allegations related to former First Lady Kim Keon-hee, has obtained text messages containing these discussions.

According to reporting on July 15, Special Counsel Min Joong-ki’s team confirmed that in November 2022, Jeon and a Unification Church executive surnamed Yoon exchanged text messages discussing membership registration in the PPP. The special counsel received forensic data of Jeon’s phone from the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, which had previously investigated him. In their messages, the two confirmed that one must pay party membership fees for more than three months to gain voting rights in party elections, and they discussed the need to “secure over 10,000 party members with voting rights.”

Prosecutors have been reviewing whether Jeon and the Unification Church official violated the Political Parties Act by forcibly enrolling Unification Church members who had no intention of joining the PPP. Article 49 of the Act stipulates that interfering in party leadership elections can result in up to five years in prison or fines of up to 10 million won. Article 42 prohibits “forcing anyone to join or leave a political party against their will.” Prosecutors also found that Jeon and the Unification Church official discussed ways to boost a particular candidate’s support in party leadership election polls.

The PPP’s national convention took place four months later, in March 2023. At the time, the emergency leadership committee led by Chung Jin-suk eliminated the inclusion of public opinion polls from the election process, raising the weighting of party member votes to 100 percent, despite opposition from non-Yoon Suk-yeol faction candidates like Yoo Seong-min. The change was widely seen as an effort to design the election in favor of pro-Yoon candidate Kim Gi-hyeon, in line with the intentions of then-President Yoon. Kim ultimately won the leadership race.

Jeon’s side acknowledged that he and the Unification Church official had discussed influencing the leadership election but added, “The candidate in question did not end up winning.” The Unification Church responded, “We are not aware of the church official’s actions, as they were done in a personal capacity.”

On the same day, the special counsel team raided Jeon’s Buddhist sanctuary in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, in connection with allegations that he intervened in the PPP’s candidate nominations for the local elections held on June 1, 2022.

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Moonie “Dirty Tricks” against Donald Fraser

Moon sought to influence the American political agenda by pouring more than a billion dollars into media.

Sun Myung Moon and the United Nations

The Moons entered Paris in 1990; Hyo Jin fled in a black Mercedes when the police arrived!

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Special Counsel Raids Shaman’s Temple in Ex-First Lady Case

2025-07-15

Anchor: A special counsel team has raided the temple of a controversial shaman who allegedly handed over lavish gifts to former first lady Kim Keon-hee on behalf of a religious group. The team, led by special counsel Min Joong-ki, sent investigators to multiple locations to gather evidence. Kim Bum-soo has more.

Report: At the center of the allegations surrounding the former first lady is dharma master Geon Jin, a 65-year-old shaman affiliated with a religious sect. 

The shaman is widely suspected of being an unofficial adviser to ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol during and after his 2022 election campaign. 

Special prosecutor Min Joong-ki raided a temple and several other locations on Tuesday in search of evidence related to the 65-year-old shaman, whose legal name is Jeon Seong-bae.

Investigators believe Jeon received a diamond necklace and a luxury handbag from a high-ranking official in the Unification Church in 2022 and delivered them to then-first lady Kim Keon-hee.

In a prior investigation by the prosecution, the shaman acknowledged receiving the items from the religious group but claimed to have lost them all.

Investigators are looking into allegations that the gifts were provided in return for business favors from the Yoon government. ​

Known for its three million followers and its massive financial assets, the South Korea-born Unification Church was allegedly seeking political support for its Cambodia Mekong River Development Project, among many other initiatives.

The special counsel is also investigating to determine whether Jeon accepted money from prominent political figures under the pretext of “prayer fees,” in exchange for favors such as nominations or appointments to key positions.

In December of last year, shortly after Yoon’s martial law bid, prosecutors raided Jeon’s temple and residence in Seoul and found 165 million won, or about 115-thousand dollars, in freshly minted bills. 

Jeon is accused of accepting 100 million won in illegal political funds in 2018 ahead of local elections in which he is thought to have served as a power broker. 

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[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

The cult tactics behind ICE

By AKINA COX

July 12, 2025

A few weeks ago on a sunny Friday afternoon, my child’s preschool sent out an alert that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were nearby. I picked them up early from school, passing a Home Depot that had apparently been raided a few hours earlier, sending day laborers and street vendors fleeing. The following day, ICE was seen in the city of Paramount where my friend lives, and I checked for alternate routes to her graduation party held that evening. On Sunday morning, as I was looking for shoes and packing snacks, I heard a rumor that ICE was on the same block as my child’s playdate. I searched for concrete details, scrolling through images of the previous day’s protests in Los Angeles only a few miles away — cops shooting rubber-coated steel bullets at protestors, tear gas wafting down the street like morning fog.

By the end of the weekend I was agitated and frayed, unable to focus. That’s when it struck me: I used to feel like this all the time, when I was growing up in the Unification Church, a doomsday cult known for arranged mass weddings of its members. Founded by the self-proclaimed messiah Reverend Sun Myung Moon, the Unification Church gained notoriety in the seventies when members known as “Moonies” became ubiquitous on city corners, selling trinkets and inviting passersby to a nearby center for a meal. Dinner would turn into a weekend at a rural property, and soon new members would vanish from their normal lives. Accusations of kidnapping were leveled on both sides, with distraught families claiming the Unification Church was keeping their children away from them, and the church alleging  families had hired deprogrammers to kidnap them back. Families were torn apart, a situation that was repeated again when church offspring like myself wanted to leave. 

...

Both the Unification Church and MAGA are masters of the manipulation tactic psychologists refer to as DARVO: Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender, in which perpetrators of abuse attempt to play the victim to avoid being held accountable. When Japan recently investigated the Unification Church for defrauding its members, leading to bankruptcies and suicides, the church decried the prosecution as an attack on religious freedom. Now, amid reports of attempted kidnappings of first-graders at schools, Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, complained to news outlets that agents have been harassed online, harming their well being.

...

AKINA COX Akina Cox is an artist and writer. She moved to Los Angeles in 2003 after being raised in the Unification Church. She received an MFA in Visual Arts from CalArts in 2012, and her artwork has been included in exhibitions at Commonwealth and Council, Bozo Mag and Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles. Her artist books have been sold or exhibited at Centre de Pompidou, Art Metropole, Printed Matter and MoCA. Cox is currently working on a memoir about growing up in the Unification Church.

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Sun Myung Moon’s theology used to control members

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The Korean Government raided the Il-hwa Ginseng Company for tax evasion in February, 1977

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FBI and other reports on Sun Myung Moon

4. Sun Myung Moon and Takeru Kamiyama jailed in 1984 for US tax crimes .   featuring an investigation by Frederick Clarkson

Document forgery was revealed

In early 1973, tax lawyers and accountants told Moon’s representatives to keep his assets separate from those of the church. Ignoring this advice, Kamiyama prepared Moon’s taxes under Moon’s personal supervision. Ledgers were forged and backdated to make it appear that certain of Moon’s assets belong to the church. The prosecution proved that the paper used to falsify the 1973 records was not manufactured until 1974. The public accounting firm that prepared Moon’s 1974 and 1975 returns was provided with false information and backdated documents.

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Sun Myung Moon lied: “Even I graduated from seminary in Korea.”

Sam Park, Moon’s secret son, reveals hidden history (2014)

Sun Myung Moon’s secret love child — Mother Jones report

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

By Youngjun Kim, July 9, 2025

SEOUL, July 9 (UPI) — South Korea's special prosecutor has formally designated Hak‑ja Han, head of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, popularly known as the Unification Church, as a criminal suspect.

Photo caption: Hak‑ja Han, wife of late Unification Church founder Moon Sun-myung, shown in 2020, has been formally designated a criminal suspect by the special prodecutor's office. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI

The office is extending its investigation to include allegations of bribery via a religious intermediary, embezzlement of church funds for casino gambling and interference in law enforcement.

Prosecutors allege that luxury goods — including designer handbags and diamond jewelry — were acquired to be given to the former First Lady Keon‑hee Kim, wife of the recently impeached former President Suk-yeol Yoon.

The items had been transferred through Seong‑bae Jeon, known as "Geonjin Beopsa," a spiritual adviser to the church. Investigators are working to establish whether directives came from senior church officials and if funds were misused for political influence.

The special prosecutor's office has announced that summonses will be issued soon to several senior Unification Church executives.

Among those investigators are set to question Young‑ho Yoon, former director-general of the church's world headquarters; Young-ho Yoon's wife, previously a leading figure in church finances; Won‑joo Jung, deputy director at the church's central Cheonmu Institute.

To date, no such individuals have been taken into custody or formally interviewed, but prosecutors have confirmed plans to bring them in for questioning as part of the unfolding inquiry.

A travel ban had been placed on all three. Won-joo Jung had been granted permission last month to visit her critically ill husband. However, to date, she has not yet returned to Korea.

Financial audit teams uncovered records indicating that church donations — totaling tens of billions of Korean won — were allegedly used for gambling at Las Vegas casinos, dating from 2008 through earlier this year. Investigators traced rewards‑club reports reflecting substantial bets and gaming sessions attributed to church figures.

Prosecutors are also probing whether the church attempted to obstruct a separate police investigation into this gambling activity. Authorities executed search and seizure operations July 8, seeking internal communications that could demonstrate exertion of political pressure or bribery to obstruct the earlier inquiry.

This probe spans multiple suspected criminal offenses: illicit transfer of luxury goods as political bribes, embezzlement of church funds for gambling, obstruction of justice through interference with police investigations, and potential collusion involving religious leaders, former police officials and political intermediaries.

The formal opening of a criminal case into Hak‑ja Han marks a pivotal escalation in this investigation. As summonses to key church figures draw closer and forensic evidence continues to accumulate, questions are mounting about the church's financial and political entanglements.

This case has generated intense interest in the Korea media over past several months. It represents one of the most high-stakes probes into religious-political influence in South Korea, raising significant questions about institutional transparency and accountability.

Earlier this year, the Tokyo District Court issued an order for the dissolution of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in Japan — formerly called Unification Church Japan.

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$42M of Donations Gambled Away by Hak Ja Han & Unification Church Leaders in Las Vegas

Ex-first lady gift probe takes strange turn — to Vegas gambling by Unification Church leader [Hak Ja Han]

Hak Ja Han and Sun Myung Moon went nightclubbing in Las Vegas, gambling in Atlantic City and bought a $65 million hotel-casino in Uruguay.

The Dark Side of the Moons – Nansook Hong Nansook says now that she knew from the very beginning that her husband was a monster and that her in-laws were little better. The honeymoon was in Las Vegas — a place she had never heard of — with the True Family in tow. In the casino she watched the Mother of the True Family “cradling a cup of coins and feverishly inserting them into a slot machine”. The “Messiah”, who publicly condemned gambling, explained that it was his duty to mingle with sinners to save them. He would position a senior church official at the blackjack table and whisper instructions from behind. “So you see, I am not actually gambling myself,” he told his young daughter-in-law.

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Uruguay’s freewheeling banking system that operated as a laundromat for drug money. Moon bought a bank. Hot Money and the Politics of Debt  (1987, 1994, 2004) pages 152-162 by R.T. Naylor, professor, economics, McGill University and the author of many books, including Economic Warfare: Sanctions, Embargo Busting, and Their Human Cost, and Bankers, Bagmen, and Bandits: Business and Politics in the Age of Greed.

Uruguay became a major American center for tourism and gambling and a refuge for fiscal flight capital.

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Three years after Abe's shooting, where do things stand?

Japan Times

BY KANAKO TAKAHARA – STAFF WRITER

July 8, 2025

It’s been three years since the shocking assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — and yet, the trial of the 44-year-old man accused of the crime still hasn’t begun.

Tetsuya Yamagami is charged with fatally shooting Abe in broad daylight in Nara while he was giving a stump speech for an Upper House election candidate on July 8, 2022.

He believed that the former prime minister had strong ties with the Unification Church — a controversial religious group — that allegedly caused financial ruin for him and his family.

The shooting led to several developments: the Unification Church is now on the brink of having its special tax-exempt status revoked; stricter legislation to compensate victims of coercive donation tactics by religious groups is in place; and the police have beefed up measures to prevent lone-wolf attacks.

But one thing proceeding at a snail’s pace is the criminal procedure against Yamagami, due to the sensitivity, complexity and social impact of the case.

The trial The first day of Yamagami’s trial is set for Oct. 28, with prospects for a ruling to be handed down early next year.

Judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers have spent more than two years in pretrial hearings discussing how the Unification Church, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, affected Yamagami’s upbringing and how it should be handled in court.

Yamagami allegedly shot Abe because his family went bankrupt after his mother, a church follower, donated more than ¥100 million ($684,700) to the group. He reportedly targeted Abe because he believed the prime minister had firm links to the church.

Defense lawyers hope his upbringing will be the focus of the trial and will try to illustrate the extenuating circumstances he was in to seek leniency. Prosecutors, meanwhile, want the trial to focus on the shooting and the immediate events leading up to it.

Prosecutors have determined that Yamagami could be held criminally liable for his actions after he underwent a psychiatric evaluation.

Yamagami’s mother has repeatedly visited his detention center in Osaka Prefecture but hasn’t been able to meet him, the Asahi Shimbun reported Tuesday.

Due to the high-profile nature of the case, security is another issue authorities are facing.

After a package addressed to Yamagami was delivered to the Nara District Court on the day of his first pretrial session, court officials canceled the hearing due to suspicions that it might have contained an explosive. They found out out later that it was a box of documents.

No other trials will be scheduled on the same day as Yamagami's for security reasons, according to sources.

The religious group The Unification Church remains under intense scrutiny over its longstanding tactics of coercing followers to offer donations, although the group claims it no longer resorts to such measures.

In March, the Tokyo District Court stripped the church of its religious corporation status, saying that “the order was necessary and inevitable” even if the right to freedom of religion is considered.

The move is expected to not only damage the Unification Church's credibility as a religious group but also its finances, as it would need to dispose of its assets and won’t be exempt from taxes. It will, however, be allowed to continue its activities. The church has appealed the case, and it is currently being deliberated at the Tokyo High Court.

If the high court upholds the lower court's decision, the ruling will take effect immediately.

However, it recently came to light that in 2009, the church designated another affiliated religious group in Obihiro, Hokkaido, to receive the group's assets if its religious status is ever revoked, which may mitigate any financial damage the church might suffer.

...

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Suicide of Japanese ‘Moon money mule’ in Uruguay. She was the mother of three children

Sun Myung Moon – Emperor, and God

Where Sun Myung Moon got his theology

Moon’s theology for his pikareum sex rituals with all the 36 wives

Sun Myung Moon – Restoration through Incest

Ritual Sex in the Unification Church – Kirsti L. Nevalainen

Sun Myung Moon explains pikareum

The Moons’ God is not the God of Judeo-Christianity

How “God’s Day” was established by Sun Myung Moon in 1968

The Moon church is unequivocally not Christian

Sun Myung Moon’s theology used to control members