South Korea court gives Unification Church leader 2 years prison
SEOUL, Aug 31 — A South Korean court sentenced the leader of the secretive and powerful Unification Church to...
A South Korean court sentenced the 83-year-old leader of the Unification Church, Han Hak-ja, to two years in prison on Friday for charges of bribing officials, including the then-president's wife. Han was accused of providing luxury items such as designer handbags to former first lady Kim Keon Hee during her husband's presidency.
The Unification Church, founded in 1954, is known for its political ties and has been under scrutiny for its involvement in politics. The court ruled that Han instructed the acts in question and was aware of their unlawful purpose. The Unification Church vowed to appeal the decision, stating that they do not agree with the court's ruling.
Han, who has a range of medical conditions including heart issues, glaucoma, and a recent fall, will remain in hospital until at least Wednesday. The Unification Church, which has around 10 million followers worldwide, has been under increased scrutiny in Japan following the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with the suspected gunman blaming the organization for his family's financial ruin.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
