Special counsel draws line with Unification Church payments to DP, spurring debate on consistency
Published: 08 Dec. 2025, 19:34
Updated: 11 Dec. 2025, 12:52
![Yun Young-ho, the former head of the Unification Church’s World Headquarters, appears at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on July 30 for a pretrial detention hearing. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/11/801550b3-e364-49a6-8819-e1a360541fbe.jpg)
Yun Young-ho, the former head of the Unification Church’s World Headquarters, appears at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on July 30 for a pretrial detention hearing. [YONHAP]
The special counsel investigating former first lady Kim Keon Hee said Monday it will not pursue allegations that a former Unification Church executive provided money to the Democratic Party (DP), determining that the claim falls outside the scope of its mandate.
Special prosecutor Min Joong-ki’s team announced that while the testimony from Yun Young-ho, the former head of the Unification Church's World Headquarters, was documented, it would be transferred to another investigative agency for further review. However, given the special counsel’s previous broad interpretation of its investigative scope, the limited interpretation of the probe scope has come to scrutiny.
“We reviewed statements made by Yun during trial after he was formally indicted and detained in August,” special counsel assistant Oh Jung-hee said during a briefing on Monday. “However, based on the people, evidence and time frame involved, his testimony clearly falls outside the legal scope of the special counsel’s mandate. The case will be handed over to the appropriate investigative body.”
Oh emphasized that the testimony was not limited to a single political party and dismissed criticism that the special counsel had selectively ignored the allegations.
During a court hearing on Friday, Yun testified that he had contacted members of both major parties — the DP and the People Power Party (PPP) — between 2017 and 2021.
“I wasn’t focused on just one side — I approached both [the DP and PPP],” Yun said. “During that period, I was closer to the DP than the ruling bloc PPP. I even approached four individuals now serving as ministers, and two of them met with [Unification Church] leader [Han Hak-ja].”
![Oh Jung-hee, assistant special counsel on the team investigating allegations involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee, holds a regular briefing at the special prosecutor’s office in the KT Gwanghwamun Building in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Aug. 26. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/11/c1c90999-cb61-4de6-9829-3e1d75ed32cd.jpg)
Oh Jung-hee, assistant special counsel on the team investigating allegations involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee, holds a regular briefing at the special prosecutor’s office in the KT Gwanghwamun Building in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Aug. 26. [NEWS1]
According to prosecutors, recordings of Yun’s phone calls with senior Unification Church officials include references to contacts made with figures from both major political parties.
Despite that, the special counsel said it could not pursue the DP-related allegations because the Special Prosecution Act limits investigations to alleged interference in state affairs or private enrichment involving former first lady Kim, her associate Jeon Seong-bae, known as Geon Jin, and Myung Tae-kyun. The financial support Yun allegedly provided to DP figures predates the 2022 presidential election and is unrelated to Kim, the team concluded.
Still, questions have been raised about the counsel's consistency regarding its probe.
The special counsel previously indicted and detained PPP lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong for accepting 100 million won ($68,000) in illegal political funds from the Unification Church. That indictment stemmed from the probe into whether luxury goods, such as a Chanel bag, were delivered to former first lady Kim via Yun and Jeon — a connection not yet definitively linked to the election or Kim’s activities.
Legal observers note that the special counsel law also permits investigation of crimes discovered “in the course of probing the main case.” The team invoked this clause when expanding its probe into the so-called “butler gate” case, in which former first lady Kim’s longtime aide Kim Ye-seong allegedly secured an 18.4 billion won investment from a conglomerate using Kim's influence. Kim Ye-seong was later indicted for embezzlement, but not for any connection to the former first lady.
![Former first lady Kim Keon Hee leaves the special counsel’s office in central Seoul, after being questioned on Aug. 6. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/11/c254ef01-ff9f-4e00-8907-aa2b68df974c.jpg)
Former first lady Kim Keon Hee leaves the special counsel’s office in central Seoul, after being questioned on Aug. 6. [NEWS1]
Asked why the allegations involving the DP do not fall under the same clause, the team reiterated that the special counsel’s mandate is to investigate offenses related to specific individuals named in the law — namely, the former first lady and her close circle.
The testimony regarding Yun’s alleged cash support to the DP will now be handed off to another agency. The special counsel said it had assigned a case number, taken Yun’s signed statement and included it in official records. Unresolved cases under the special counsel’s purview are typically transferred to the National Office of Investigation under the Korean National Police Agency.
If the PPP proceeds with its proposal for a second, broader special counsel investigation, the DP-related allegations could be reopened under a new mandate.
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 JIN-HO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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