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Police raid Unification Church headquarters, nine other sites over political bribery allegations

Published: 15 Dec. 2025, 14:50 Updated: 15 Dec. 2025, 21:27

Reporters wait outside the National Assembly office of former Oceans Minister Chun Jae-soo on Dec. 15 as police launch their first forced investigation into allegations that political figures received money and valuables from the Unification Church. [YONHAP]

Police launched a series of raids Monday on 10 locations linked to the Unification Church, including its headquarters, Cheon Jeong Palace, as part of an investigation into allegations that the church provided illicit support to political figures.

On the same day, police came under fire for delays in the raid on a former government minister connected to the case.

The Korean National Police Agency's National Office of Investigation said it began executing search and seizure warrants at around 9 a.m. at Cheon Jeong Palace in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, and at nine other sites, on suspicion of violating the Political Funds Act and bribery laws.

Targets of the raids included the church’s Seoul headquarters in Yongsan District, central Seoul; the National Assembly office and residence of liberal Democratic Party (DP) Rep. Chun Jae-soo, a former oceans minister; and the homes of former DP lawmaker Lim Jong-seong and former conservative United Future Party lawmaker Kim Gyu-hwan.

Church leader Han Hak-ja and Yun Young-ho, former head of the Unification Church’s world headquarters and key figures in the case, have been booked as bribery suspects. Seoul Detention Center, where they are being held, was also searched. Police also included the office of the special counsel team investigating former first lady Kim Keon Hee, which had previously handled related case files, among the targets of the search.

Investigators have deployed a large number of officers to secure accounting records and other financial documents from the church, focusing on tracing money flows and determining whether alleged bribes were actually delivered.

The raids came five days after police formally assembled a dedicated investigation team last Wednesday. Investigators worked through the weekend reviewing case records and coordinating witness summons to accelerate the probe.

Photos of Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, right, and the late founder Moon Sun-myung hang in the lobby of the church’s Korean headquarters in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Dec. 15 as police carry out their first forced investigation into alleged bribery involving political figures. [YONHAP]

At the center of the allegations is whether the Unification Church provided money or valuables to political figures — including Chun, Lim and Kim — in exchange for support on long-sought projects such as a proposed Korea-Japan undersea tunnel. The investigation was triggered by statements from Yun.

The former lawmaker Chun, along with Lim and Kim, has categorically denied receiving any money or valuables.

During questioning by the Kim Keon Hee special counsel team in August, Yun reportedly stated that he gave Chun — then a sitting lawmaker — luxury watches from Bulgari and Cartier, as well as cash, between 2018 and 2020. He also claimed to have handed over tens of millions of won in cash to Lim and Kim.

However, Yun appeared to retreat from those claims last Friday when he testified as a witness at a Seoul Central District Court hearing in the political funds violation trial of conservative People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Kweon Seong-dong.

The grounds of Cheon Jeong Palace, the Unification Church’s headquarters in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, on Dec. 12. [YONHAP]

“Some of what is being talked about publicly was not my intention,” said Yun, adding that he was being cautious.

Police said they will assess the credibility of Yun’s statements and clarify the extent of church officials' involvement based on seized materials, including the specific timing and locations of any alleged transfers of money or valuables.

Still, skepticism remains within and outside the police over whether the current raids will yield a clear “smoking gun,” given that the Kim Keon Hee special counsel team previously conducted multiple searches related to the Unification Church. Investigators have reportedly said that the records handed over in person by the special counsel team last Wednesday alone are insufficient to fully substantiate the allegations.

Separately, police are also investigating the Kim Keon Hee special counsel team and special counsel Min Joong-ki, after the PPP filed a complaint last Thursday, accusing them of dereliction of duty. Investigators are expected to review that complaint as well, using materials obtained through the latest searches.

The same day, police faced backlash over the delayed search of Chun’s office, which began at 11:20 a.m., triggering concerns of preferential treatment or procedural failures.

By the time investigators arrived at Chun’s office and presented the warrant, his legal counsel was already on site. There were reports of sounds resembling a paper shredder heard from inside Chun’s office during the delay of 2 hours and 20 minutes.

The search of Chun’s office was delayed due to legal procedures required for conducting raids within the National Assembly, despite the other raids being launched simultaneously. Under Article 123 of the Criminal Procedure Act, investigative authorities must notify the National Assembly speaker before executing a search warrant in the Assembly building. In practice, this is followed by consultations with the National Assembly Secretariat regarding the scope of the search.

“The law requires prior notification to the person in charge when executing a warrant at a public institution, and a witness must be present,” a police official said. “It took some time, but there was no special significance to the delay.”

Police investigators carry a box with seized items after conducting a raid on the office of former Oceans Minister Chun Jae-soo at the National Assembly in Yeoudio, western Seoul, on Dec. 15. Chun stepped down last week over allegations of accepting bribes from the Unification Church. The search and seizure of Chun’s office took over two hours to get started, longer than the norm for such parliamentary raids. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

The process was further prolonged because National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik was out of the country on an official overseas trip. He departed on Monday for a six-day visit to Uzbekistan and Turkey.

“The speaker’s absence caused some delays in the notification process, but the time taken was not unusual,” said a National Assembly official.

The search of Chun’s office concluded around 3:05 p.m., nearly four hours after it began. Investigators were seen leaving with a single gray evidence box marked with the National Office of Investigation logo, as well as digital forensics equipment.

After the raid, Chun’s lawyer, Lee Yong-goo, told reporters that while the warrant was issued for a violation of the Political Funds Act, the court appeared to have considered bribery in granting it. He added that Chun, who chaired the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee until June this year for the 22nd National Assembly, would address the press himself later.

Lee also confirmed he has been representing Chun since his return to Korea on Thursday, following a visit to promote Korea’s bid to host the UN Ocean Conference.

Update, Dec. 15: Added criticism of the police investigation and more details on the raid of Chun's office.

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 NA UN-CHAE,SON SUNG-BAE,LEE CHAN-KYU [[email protected]]