South Korean court sentences Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja to two years in prison

Conviction and sentencing

A three-judge panel at the Seoul Central District Court sentenced 83-year-old Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja to two years in prison on 31 August 2026. The court convicted Han of violating political funding regulations, orchestrating bribery, embezzling religious funds, and ordering the destruction of evidence related to gambling in the United States. Prosecutors had requested a 13-year prison term during the trial. The panel divided the sentence into one year for providing illegal election campaign contributions and one year for delivering luxury goods to former first lady Kim Keon Hee. Prosecutors stated that the ruling marked the first time authorities legally proved that the religious organization attempted to purchase political influence. During the trial, prosecutors presented photographs of Han's private safe containing $19 million in cash.

Bribes and campaign funding

The judicial panel found that the church used senior official Yun Young-ho to transfer 100 million won (about $72,000) to conservative People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong ahead of the 2022 presidential election to support Yoon Suk Yeol's candidacy. In July 2022, following Yoon's election, the church sent luxury items to Kim through an intermediary, including two Chanel handbags and a Graff diamond necklace valued between 80 million won and 83 million won (approximately $50,000 to $60,000). Kim acknowledged receiving Chanel bags but claimed she returned them unused, denying that she exchanged political favors for gifts. The court concluded that church leadership deployed financial resources to expand its influence and secure policy support from the Yoon administration.

Related trials and convictions

The verdict connects to broader judicial actions involving former president Yoon Suk Yeol and his associates. Yoon is serving a life sentence after South Korean courts determined that his brief declaration of martial law in late 2024 constituted an act of insurrection. Kim faces a total of 11 years in prison on multiple charges, including stock price manipulation and accepting bribes for state appointments. In January 2026, a court sentenced Kim to 20 months for accepting church gifts, a term that an appeals court increased to four years in April 2026. Lawmaker Kweon is serving a two-year prison sentence for his role in the funding operation. For serving as the church intermediary, Yun received an additional six months in prison on Monday on top of an existing 18-month sentence, while two other church defendants received suspended sentences.

Church defense and appeals

Han has led the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification since the 2012 death of her husband, Sun Myung Moon, who founded the movement in the 1950s and proclaimed himself a messiah. Moon married Han when she was 17, and the couple had 14 children, 10 of whom are living. Followers refer to Han as True Mother, and she conducted mass wedding ceremonies as recently as 2025. Throughout the trial, Han denied all charges, maintaining that Yun acted independently to elevate his standing within the church.

I do not seek power with money.

Both the prosecution and defense retain the right to appeal the district court ruling. Following the verdict, church leadership announced that it would file an appeal against the conviction, maintaining the position it took after Han's initial arrest in September 2025, which the organization described as an attack on religious freedom.

We find it impossible to accept the court's judgment that President Han Hak-ja directed the acts in question or recognised and approved their illegal purpose.