From reverence to reckoning: Scandals pull back curtain on the Unification Church
Published: 15 Oct. 2025, 18:13
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- MICHAEL LEE
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, center, arrives for questioning at the office of special counsel Min Joong-ki in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Sept. 17. Han, who has been accused by prosecutors of bribing former first lady Kim Keon Hee and conservative lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, was indicted on Oct. 9 on charges of bribery, embezzlement and violating political funding laws. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/15/6d7a8138-a34c-4e24-845e-e048d8d5f428.jpg)
Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, center, arrives for questioning at the office of special counsel Min Joong-ki in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Sept. 17. Han, who has been accused by prosecutors of bribing former first lady Kim Keon Hee and conservative lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, was indicted on Oct. 9 on charges of bribery, embezzlement and violating political funding laws. [YONHAP]
[EXPLAINER]
After decades spent weaving a formidable web of religious, business and media companies, the Unification Church — formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification — now finds itself under the harsh light of official inquiries in both Korea and Japan.
Long dismissed by traditional Christian denominations for its departures from mainstream theology, the church today faces a different set of questions — not about its creed, but about its conduct: how it raises and spends its money, and how it has sought to embed itself in political power.
Led by its 82-year-old matriarch, Han Hak-ja, the church is now ensnared in twin scandals. In Korea, prosecutors allege that Han and her aides bribed political figures, including former first lady Kim Keon Hee, in a bid to curry favor with former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration. In Japan, the church faces a court-ordered dissolution after investigators traced years of coercive fundraising and its influence over lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
The scrutiny marks a dramatic reversal for a movement long branded a cult but tolerated for its reach and wealth. To understand why two governments are now turning on the Unification Church, one must examine its unusual theology — and the worldly empire it built in the name of salvation.
How does it differ from mainstream Christianity?
Founded in 1954 by Han’s late husband, the self-proclaimed messiah Moon Sun Myung, the church grew out of his visions and revelations, later codified in the “Divine Principle,” its central text.
Moon taught that Jesus had failed to complete his divine mission, leaving humanity’s redemption to be fulfilled by Moon and his wife — revered by followers as the “True Parents.” This reinterpretation of Christian doctrine, which elevates the couple to near-divine status, became the spiritual foundation for a movement that blurred lines between the sacred and the personal.
![A portrait of Unification Church founder Moon Sun Myung, left, and his wife and current leader Han Hak-ja, right, hangs in the lobby of the organization's building in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on July 18. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/15/1c5c74f2-8dde-41dc-9599-e2159bb5bf1f.jpg)
A portrait of Unification Church founder Moon Sun Myung, left, and his wife and current leader Han Hak-ja, right, hangs in the lobby of the organization's building in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on July 18. [YONHAP]
That theology took tangible form in the church’s signature rituals: mass weddings of couples matched by its leadership, whose unions were cast as part of a cosmic restoration.
Donations, too, were infused with spiritual consequence — gifts to the church were said to cleanse sin and secure heavenly favor.
But over time, former members and families of believers began to accuse the Unification Church of exploiting faith for profit. In multiple lawsuits, especially in Japan, they have accused church leaders of applying psychological pressure that led to financial ruin for their relatives.
A church or an empire?
Fueled by decades of fervent giving, the Unification Church and its affiliates have built an empire of businesses and properties that rivals multinational conglomerates in reach and complexity.
![A nighttime photo taken in 2016 of the New Yorker Hotel in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. The landmark hotel was bought by the Unification Church in May 1976. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/15/9dd5e861-d2b7-4e4b-b4bd-3ab937c2b0df.jpg)
A nighttime photo taken in 2016 of the New Yorker Hotel in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. The landmark hotel was bought by the Unification Church in May 1976. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
The church’s holdings, which span continents and industries, include: the historic New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan; the Yongpyong ski resort in Pyeongchang, Gangwon, which hosted alpine skiing events during the 2018 Winter Olympics; the elite CheongShim International Academy in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi; the conservative-leaning Washington Times in the United States and Segye Ilbo in Korea; and True World Foods, a key supplier in the U.S. sushi industry.
While profits from these businesses ostensibly fuel the church’s religious activities, the opacity of its corporate holdings — which include business affiliates, educational foundations and media holding groups — has made external oversight difficult.
In some cases, critics and courts have alleged that some of the funds were not simply for religious or charitable purposes, but also used to secure access, favors or political influence.
What scandals involve the church?
Quiet currying of political favor and unchecked growth over decades set the stage for the crises that now beset the Unification Church.
In Seoul, Yoon’s impeachment and eventual removal from office triggered a flood of various allegations, including claims that his wife and a senior lawmaker from the conservative People Power Party accepted luxury gifts and cash from Unification Church intermediaries.
![Former first lady Kim Keon Hee leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, after her warrant hearing on Aug. 12. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/15/8741da0e-425a-4aff-a7bc-8e3a6cdf432d.jpg)
Former first lady Kim Keon Hee leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, after her warrant hearing on Aug. 12. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Korean prosecutors say Han authorized the bribes — which included luxury handbags for Kim and 100 million won ($70,000) for Rep. Kweon Seong-dong — to secure influence and curry favor for future business ventures.
Investigators also claim that during Yoon’s 2022 campaign, the church mobilized members to support him in exchange for policy promises, with the expectation that the former president would deliver speeches in support of the group.
The scandal carries hallmarks of a controversy that erupted as a result of a shocking assassination in Japan three years prior.
In July 2022, a man whose mother had been financially ruined by church donations shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he campaigned for a candidate from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Nara, western Japan.
Abe’s assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, later told police that he originally wanted to kill Han, but switched his target to Abe, citing longstanding ties between the church and the former prime minister’s family and speeches he had delivered in support of the movement. Yamagami also blamed Abe’s LDP for enabling the group’s rise.
![Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers a congratulatory speech for Think Tank 2022, an event held by the Unification Church's affiliates in September 2021. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/15/eb425e1d-6c47-44f8-a5f5-18e4b701d7e9.jpg)
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers a congratulatory speech for Think Tank 2022, an event held by the Unification Church's affiliates in September 2021. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
The killing ignited a public reckoning regarding the Unification Church’s alleged practice of pressuring believers into making exorbitant donations and its mobilization of members to support the LDP in elections.
After investigations following the assassination revealed that half of Abe’s fourth cabinet had connections to the Unification Church, Japanese dignitaries and legislators were forced to disclose their relationship with the church. The LDP announced a month after Abe’s murder that it would no longer have any relationship with the movement.
How have Korea and Japan responded?
Following Abe’s assassination, the Japanese Education Ministry opened an unprecedented investigation into the Unification Church, interviewing former believers and combing through decades of records.
In a damning report, ministry officials found the church had used fear and spiritual intimidation to extract money, leaving thousands of families bankrupt.
In October 2023, the ministry asked the Tokyo District Court to dissolve the church’s legal status. The court agreed in March 2025, calling the harm inflicted by the church on believers’ families “unprecedented” and ordering the liquidation of its assets. The ruling stripped the church of its tax benefits and standing as a religious body.
While church leaders have appealed, calling the decision an attack on religious freedom, the ruling marks a turn in the Japanese government’s long silence regarding the group’s activities. The government has also promised compensation for victims and new regulations on donation-based faith groups.
![A photo of the Unification Church's headquarters in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi, that was taken on Sept. 18. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/15/7ab9cde2-d738-41bb-b50f-6364511e4bf6.jpg)
A photo of the Unification Church's headquarters in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi, that was taken on Sept. 18. [YONHAP]
In Korea, the response has taken a more prosecutorial turn.
Han faces charges of bribery, embezzlement and political fund violations. She denies wrongdoing, blaming overzealous subordinates and political bias. Her arrest — the first of a Unification Church leader — signals that the church’s upper echelons may not be spared criminal liability.
Korean prosecutors have also imposed travel bans on senior officials and frozen assets while tracing the flow of funds through church-run schools and companies.
What happens next?
For years, the Unification Church operated in ways few organized religious entities in Korea dared. It not only defended fundraising and ties to conservative politicians as part of its faith, but also allegedly mobilized its members as voters for parties that gave it political cover.
![Police prepare to carry out a raid on the Unification Church's headquarters in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi, on July 18. [JUNG JIN-WOO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/10/15/fbbd2c6c-013b-445f-b726-c355169faf0e.jpg)
Police prepare to carry out a raid on the Unification Church's headquarters in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi, on July 18. [JUNG JIN-WOO]
Now, its twin bastions — Korea and Japan — are turning against it. If upheld, the Tokyo District Court’s dissolution order could lead to the end of the church’s religious and business activities in Japan, while the indictments in Seoul could land the church’s “True Mother” in prison.
The church’s wealth may endure, but its standing is likely to suffer, which could also test the loyalty of its followers and its appeal to potential believers.
BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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