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Unification Church leader returns to detention after medical release extension denied

Published: 07 Nov. 2025, 18:19

Han Hak-ja, leader of the Unification Church, leaves the Seoul Central District Court on Sept. 22 after attending a hearing to review an arrest warrant. [YONHAP]

A Seoul district court rejected Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja’s request to extend her temporary release from detention, sending her back to jail on Friday after a weeklong medical leave.

The Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division turned down Han’s application, according to legal insiders, sending her back to the Seoul Detention Center ahead of the 4 p.m. deadline on Friday.

Han had been granted temporary release last Saturday for medical reasons, including eye surgery. The court allowed the conditional suspension for hospital treatment but prohibited her from making any contact with people other than medical staff.

Han underwent eye surgery during the temporary release. She requested an extension until 6 p.m. Nov. 13, citing the need for postoperative recovery, but the court rejected the plea.

Special Counsel Min Joong-ki’s team, which has been investigating Han, said the surgery that justified the initial suspension had already been completed and argued there was no further need for an extended detention suspension.

Han is the head of the Unification Church, officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

She was indicted and detained on Oct. 10 on allegations that she conspired with Yoon Young-ho, the church’s former global headquarters director, to deliver 100 million won ($69,000) in political funds to People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Kweon Seong-dong in January 2022, seeking government support for the church under former President Yoon Suk Yeol, then the PPP's presidential candidate.

She also faces charges of illegally splitting 144 million won in church funds to donate to PPP lawmakers between April and July 2022, and of being involved in delivering luxury gifts — including a necklace and a Chanel handbag — to first lady Kim Keon Hee through Jeon Seong-bae, a shaman known as Geon Jin.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]