Special Counsel Team Appeals for Tougher Sentence for Unification Church Leader

A special counsel team, led by Min Joong-ki, has appealed the two-year prison sentence handed to Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja. According to The Korea Times, the team had initially sought a 13-year prison term for Han, who was convicted of bribing the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and other corruption charges.

Han was found guilty of giving a luxury necklace and a Chanel bag to Yoon's wife, Kim Keon Hee, while requesting favors for the church through an intermediary in July 2022. She was also convicted of colluding with former church officials to give 100 million won to Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the then ruling People Power Party in January 2022.

The special counsel team argued that the sentence did not match the gravity of Han's crimes, objecting to the court citing her efforts for world peace as a favorable sentencing factor. KBS World Radio reported that the team filed the appeal on Friday, but did not provide further details. Han has yet to file an appeal.

Brief written by urgent.news from KBS World Radio, The Korea Times — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.