Unification Church Raided… Intense Reactions from Followers

As the special prosecutor's office has conducted a comprehensive raid on the Unification Church, images of crying followers have been captured.

According to JTBC on the 18th, the special prosecution team led by Kim Geon-hee (Special Prosecutor Min Jung-ki), which is investigating allegations of lobbying by the Unification Church in political circles, has carried out raids on over 10 locations, including the Unification Church's Cheon Won Gung located in Gapyeong, residential area 'Cheon Jeong Gung' of President Han Hak-ja, the home of former Unification Church World Headquarters head Yoon Young-ho, and the Unification Church's Seoul headquarters.

At the raid site, over a hundred Unification Church followers resisted, chanting "Let's protect President Han Hak-ja."

In a video released by JTBC, followers are seen singing while wearing T-shirts that say "Holy Mother Han."

Some followers kneeled, beating the ground and sobbing uncontrollably.

Even in the pouring rain, the followers continued outdoor prayers, shouting, "Let's protect President Han Hak-ja."

Tracking Unification Church's Financial Flow

The special prosecutor's office considers President Han Hak-ja a suspect in receiving bribes and is proceeding with the investigation.

The special prosecutor's office believes that under the direction of President Han, the then-World Headquarters head Yoon delivered items like diamond necklaces and Chanel bags to Jeon Seong-bae, referred to as 'Geun Jin Beop Sa,' as gifts for "Kim Geon-hee."

They are also suspicious that these gifts may have been a reward for soliciting favors regarding the acquisition of YTN and the development project on the Mekong River in Cambodia.

In fact, Yoon reportedly acknowledged in a prosecution investigation that he delivered gifts to Jeon while soliciting favors, stating, "It was done with President Han Hak-ja's approval."

Yoon, who was the World Headquarters head at the time, is known to have stated to the prosecution that "it was done with President Han Hak-ja's approval."

On the same day, JTBC reported that while the special prosecutor's investigation team was searching the premises of President Han, they uncovered hidden secret spaces throughout the area.

Stacks of cash in South Korean won, US dollars, and Japanese yen were found in those spaces, and it was also identified that various valuable metals had been stored in another room.

According to accounting data related to donations collected by the Unification Church, it is estimated that annual domestic donations are in the 20 billion won range, while in Japan, they are estimated at 330 billion yen.

The special prosecutor's office suspects that the source of the money used to purchase the 'gifts for Kim Geon-hee' comes from the church, and this is being verified.

The prosecutor's office is reported to be checking the overall financial flow of the Unification Church and investigating whether additional funds have flowed to officials in the Yoon Seok-yeol administration beyond the known gifts.

Naver TV 'JTBC News'

Image source: jtbc, President Han Hak-ja of the Unification Church / jtbc, Kim Geon-hee / News1