South Korean authorities indicted Hak Ja Han, 82, leader of the Unification Church, over allegations she instructed church officials to bribe the wife of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol and a conservative lawmaker.
Han and her former chief secretary face charges including bribery, embezzlement, violations of political funding laws, and instructing the destruction of evidence.
Investigators claim the church offered luxury goods and cash in 2022 to gain political favors and support Yoon’s presidential campaign, the Associated Press has reported.
The church condemned the indictment, calling Han an “internationally respected religious leader,” while Yoon faces multiple ongoing probes related to his brief martial law decree and other alleged misconduct.
Han leads the Unification Church, founded by her late husband Sun Myung Moon, which has millions of followers and extensive international business and religious operations.
