A South Korean court sentenced Hak Ja Han, the 83-year-old leader of the Unification Church, to two years in prison on Monday for bribing the wife of ousted conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol and other corruption charges. The Seoul Central District Court convicted Han, widow of church founder Sun Myung Moon, of violating the political funds act, bribery, and embezzling church funds, the court said in a statement. Han was arrested in September 2025 and later charged with colluding with church officials to give then-first lady Kim Keon Hee luxury goods when Yoon was in office, in pursuit of political favors, the AP reports.
Han was also charged with giving lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, a Yoon loyalist, 100 million won ($73,000) months before Yoon’s inauguration in May 2022. Earlier this year, Kim received a four-year prison term at an appeals court for receiving a Graff diamond necklace and two Chanel bags from the Unification Church, and stock price manipulation, a charge that is unrelated to the church. Prosecutors said the bribery case was the first time the church’s efforts to buy influence in politics have been confirmed, the BBC reports. They released photos of $19 million in cash found in Han’s personal safe.
On Monday, the Seoul court sentenced a church official to six months in prison and gave two other church officials suspended terms over their involvement in Han’s case. Kwon received a two-year sentence at the Supreme Court, the top court in South Korea, in July. Despite Monday’s verdict, Han was out of prison because the Seoul court earlier accepted her request to suspend her arrest due to health issues until Sept. 2. A team of investigators led by special prosecutor Min Joong-ki earlier requested a 13-year prison term for Han. Revered as “True Mother” by followers, Han is the top leader of the Unification Church, which is officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, and known to critics as the Moonies. The organization said in a statement Monday that it deeply apologizes for causing “big concerns and disappointment to the people.” But it said it cannot accept the ruling against Han and will appeal it. The Unification Church, widely known for mass weddings, was founded in 1954 by Moon, a self-proclaimed messiah who preached new interpretations of the Bible and conservative family values. He built the church into an international movement with extensive business interests worldwide. Moon died in 2012 at age 92. In a blow to the church’s branch in Japan, a Tokyo court last year ordered a revocation of its legal status after the government accused it of manipulative fundraising and recruitment tactics that sowed fear among followers and harmed their families.