South Korea hands jail term to Unification Church leader

South Korean court sentenced Han Hak Ja, the leader of the Unification Church, to a two-year prison term on Monday for bribery charges. The 83-year-old widow of the church's founder, Sun Myung Moon, was accused of exchanging expensive gifts with South Korea's former First Lady Kim Keon Hee in exchange for political favors. Kim herself had received a 20-month prison sentence in January for accepting gifts from the Unification Church, which sought political favors.

The Unification Church, officially titled the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, gained notoriety for its mass weddings, secretive nature, and accusations of cult-like behavior and influence peddling. Formed in the 1950s, it claimed to be led by Han and her late husband, who at times declared himself the second coming of Jesus.

The church has had an impact beyond Korea, notably in Japan, where former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in 2022 by a man influenced by the church's connections.