Former oceans minister appears before police, denies Unification Church bribery claims
Published: 19 Dec. 2025, 10:52
![Former Oceans and Fisheries Minister Chun Jae-soo arrives at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, on Dec. 19 as a suspect in an investigation into allegations that he received cash and other valuables from the Unification Church. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/19/02f26310-7826-41c0-a103-c914a774f1ed.jpg)
Former Oceans and Fisheries Minister Chun Jae-soo arrives at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, on Dec. 19 as a suspect in an investigation into allegations that he received cash and other valuables from the Unification Church. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Chun Jae-soo, a former minister of oceans and fisheries accused of receiving illicit money and gifts from the Unification Church, appeared before police for questioning for the first time on Friday and flatly denied the allegations.
“I categorically state that I never received any illegal money or valuables from the Unification Church,” Chun told reporters outside the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency building in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, shortly before 10 a.m.
“Given the recent controversy surrounding the Unification Church, I sincerely apologize to the public for the fact that I am at the center of this turmoil,” he said.
Chun said allegations that he accepted 20 million won ($13,500) in cash and a luxury watch in return for lobbying related to a proposed Korea-Japan undersea tunnel project were “clearly false.”
“The Korea-Japan undersea tunnel is a structure in which if Japan gains 100, Busan suffers 100 in losses,” he said. “I have consistently opposed the project because it would sell out Busan’s future. That opposition reflects my political convictions.”
Chun also pointed to his political career, saying, “I was elected after four attempts in Busan, a politically difficult region, through years of hardship and perseverance. Does it make sense that I would trade all that for 20 million won and a single watch? It would make better sense to claim 20 billion won and 100 watches for the story to have even minimal plausibility.”
Chun declined to answer questions about whether he had met Han Hak-ja, the Unification Church’s leader, or what he planned to explain during police questioning, before heading into the investigation office.
Chun is suspected of receiving 20 million won in cash and a luxury watch worth about 10 million won from Unification Church officials around 2018, allegedly in exchange for favors related to the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel project, on charges including bribery.
Police are expected to focus their questioning on whether any money or valuables were actually delivered. During a search of Chun’s residence and other locations on Monday, investigators did not recover the alleged watch.
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 HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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