{
  "id": 5510727,
  "title": "Special counsel appeals Unification Church leader's sentence in bribery case",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/special-counsel-appeals-unification-church-leaders-sentence-in-5510727",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-04T07:17:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/law-crime/20260904/special-counsel-appeals-unification-church-leaders-sentence-in-bribery-case"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Friday, a special counsel team appealed the two-year prison sentence given to Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja for bribery and corruption charges, according to prosecutors. The special counsel, led by Min Joong-ki, had requested an 13-year prison term for the 83-year-old. The Seoul Central District Court convicted Han in January for giving a luxury necklace and Chanel bag to Yoon Suk Yeol's wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee, in exchange for favors for the church in July 2022. The court also found her guilty 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. Min's team expressed difficulty accepting the sentence, arguing it did not reflect the gravity of the crimes. They also opposed the court's decision to extend Han's suspension of detention until September 30 due to health issues. As of now, Han has not filed an appeal.",
  "summary": "A special counsel team on Friday appealed Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja's two-year prison sentence for bribing the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and other corruption charges. Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team, which had sought a 13-year prison term for the 83-year-old, said it submitted the appeal, arguing the sentence did not match the gravity of her crimes. The Seoul Central…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Special counsel appeals Unification Church leader's sentence in bribery case",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/special-counsel-appeals-unification-church-leaders-sentence-in-5510864",
        "published": "2026-09-04T06:44:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Special counsel appeals Unification Church leader's sentence in bribery case",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/special-counsel-appeals-unification-church-leaders-sentence-in",
        "published": "2026-09-04T07:02:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "KBS World Radio",
        "title": "Special Counsel Team Appeals for Tougher Sentence for Unification Church Leader",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/special-counsel-team-appeals-for-tougher-sentence-for-unification",
        "published": "2026-09-04T07:42:27.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}