Han Yue-shi reported on August 31st that "Unified Teach" head Han Kezi, accused of colluding with religion and politics, was sentenced to two years in jail after a first trial. He is being charged with bribery during presidential elections and afterwards.
The 27th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court held a public trial of Han Hee-ji on the afternoon of the 31st. She was sentenced to one year in prison each for violating the Political Fund Law and the Act against Bribery. Previously, the special investigation team had recommended a sentence of 13 years for Han Hee-ji.
The court stated on that day: “The Unified Church, leveraging its financial power, saw the 20th presidential election as an opportunity to expand its influence. They supported candidates who were friendly to them. After the new government took office, they attempted to commit crimes in order to gain state support for their church policies and to expand their political influence.”
However, the court also stated that Han Hezi “has no criminal record” and that “as a religious leader, he has made efforts for world peace,” and this was taken into consideration as a factor for lenient sentencing.
The former World Minister of Unification Church, Yoon Young-ho, who was also charged, was sentenced to 6 months in prison; the former President's Secretary of the Unification Church, Mr. Zheng, was sentenced to 8 months in prison with a 2-year suspended sentence for violating the Political Fund Law and the Prohibit Request Law; Mr. Yoon Young-ho's spouse, the former Financial Director of Unification Church, Ms. Li, was sentenced to 6 months in prison with a 1-year suspended sentence.
The court found that Han Hezi's main charges were established. First, the court determined that Han Hezi conspired with Zheng to request support from the Yun Seok-yeol government for a unified religion in January 2022, and transferred 100 million Korean won in political funds. Additionally, the court found that through 'Master Gyeonjin', Han Hezi gave luxury items to Kim Kyeong-sil, the wife of former South Korean President Yun Seok-yeol, attempting to use the influence of 'First Lady' to promote overseas business projects.
The “Unified Church” is officially known as the “World Christian Unified Deity Association”. It was founded by Han Min-jung in South Korea in 1954. In 1999, its name was changed to the “World Peace Unified Family Federation”. For a long time, the “Unified Church” has been controversial due to its political connections and its false claims that Han Min-jung represents “Jesus Christ’s second coming”. Han Hee-kyo, who was sentenced this time, is Han Min-jung’s spouse and also the current leader of the “Unified Church”.
This organization has been involved in several political scandals and legal cases in countries such as South Korea and Japan. It is widely recognized as a cult organization by many countries including China and Japan, as well as by the international community.
According to information disclosed by Chinese anti-cult websites, the money-making system of the 'Unified Religion' has already been turned into an industrialized operation. Its core strategy is to exploit members' reverence for their ancestors and families, fabricating lies such as 'ghost manifestations' and 'disastrous events', in order to coerce them into paying high prices for so-called 'clairvoyant products'.
In Japan, a "Dolupotoba" is sold for 100 million yen, and a set of "ginseng liquid" is listed at 48 million yen. However, the actual cost of these items is less than one-tenth of the selling price. The story of Japanese member Tetsuo Tanaka is a typical example: he was tricked into entering a sealed "spiritual field," and under the threat of "ancestral suffering," he sold his ancestral land and antiques, contributing a total of 3.2 billion yen. In the end, he became completely penniless.
The assassin of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Yamashita Tetsuya, whose mother was also brainwashed by the "Unification Church," donated her husband's inheritance and property totaling 100 million yen, leading to family breakdown and the suicide of the eldest son.
In 1997, the “Unified Church” was identified by the Chinese government as a cult organization. Its media outlet, the Washington Times, has long promoted theories about China's threat, and during the pandemic, it spread rumors claiming that the novel coronavirus originated from a leak in a laboratory in Wuhan, causing negative social impacts.
