Former Head of the Unification Church Testifies to Organized Intervention in Kim Ki-hyun's Election

The Kim Geon-hee special investigation team has secured a testimony from the former head of the Unification Church, indicating that the organization intervened in the People Power Party's national convention to assist in Kim Ki-hyun's election.

On the 19th, the JoongAng Ilbo reported that the Kim Geon-hee special investigation team obtained this testimony from a key official of the Unification Church who was indicted on the 18th.

According to the report, the testimony reveals that the Unification Church systematically intervened in the People Power Party's national convention.

The special investigation team is investigating allegations of intervention in the People Power Party's national convention held in March 2023 against Yoon, the former head of the Unification Church who has been detained and indicted.

It is known that Yoon testified during the investigation about collectively enrolling Unification Church members as new party members to ensure that Kim Ki-hyun would be elected as party leader.

Particularly, Yoon reportedly stated that he initially aimed to support Rep. Kwon Seong-dong for the party leadership alongside Geonjin Beopsa (Shaman) Jeon Seong-bae, but after Kwon withdrew from the race, he assisted Kim's election. This provides significant evidence supporting allegations of organized religious group intervention in a political party's election.

In relation to this, the special investigation team attempted to compare the People Power Party's member list with the list of Unification Church members by visiting party offices and the National Assembly on the 13th and yesterday. However, these attempts reportedly failed due to opposition from the People Power Party.

Issues with Key Evidence Loss in Geonjin Beopsa Investigation

Meanwhile, a significant incident involving the loss of key evidence occurred during the prosecution's investigation into Geonjin Beopsa Jeon Seong-bae.

The Southern District Prosecutors' Office confiscated 165 million won in cash from Jeon's safe last December, of which 50 million won consisted of cash sealed by a government agency, known as "Gwan-bong-gwon."

The problem arose when it was revealed that an investigator lost the strap and sticker that accompanied the bundles of cash during the evidence management process.

This strap had recorded the date of cash inspection and the responsible person's code, making it an important clue for tracking the source of the cash.

The Southern District Prosecutors' Office explained that the staff accidentally discarded the strap and sticker. However, the prosecution, which confirmed this fact last April, did not initiate an immediate investigation due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.

In response, Minister of Justice Jeong Seong-ho directed the Supreme Prosecutors' Office today to ascertain the facts, and the inspection department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office has begun an investigation.

Image source: Kim Ki-hyun, a member of the People Power Party / News1, former Geonjin Beopsa Jeon Seong-bae arriving at the special investigation team office of Min Jung-ki on the morning of the 18th in Jongno, Seoul / News1, reference photo for understanding the article / Photo=Insight