The leader of the Unification Church has denied accusations that his organization brushed the former first lady of South Korea with luxury gifts in exchange for commercial favors.
Han Hak-Ja rejected the accusations when journalists interrogated her after nine hours of interrogation in the prosecutor’s office.
“No … why would that do?” The 82-year-old widow of the founder of the Church, Moon Sun-Myung, said while supported by the building.
Former first lady Kim Keon Hee, wife of the expelled president Yoon Suk Yeol, is accused of accepting two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace worth approximately 80 million wones ($ 57,900; £ 42,500).
Kim was accused last month for bribes and charges of manipulation of shares, which he denies.
His case is significant, since he marks the first time that both a former president and a first lady have been imprisoned in South Korea.
Yoon was arrested earlier this year to face the trial for a failed attempt of the martial law that deepened political agitation in the country.
They have told a former church official, claiming that he was only responsible for giving gifts to Kim. That official has already been arrested.
His appearance followed three negatives to honor the calls of the special prosecutor. “It hurt later [heart] Surgery, ”he explained.
The same day, the authorities arrested the conservative legislator Kweon Seong-Dong, accused of receiving 100 million profits in bribes of the Church. Kweon, once near Yoon, denied having acted badly.
The unification church, officially called the Family Federation for Peace and Unification of the World, was founded in the 1950s by Moon Sun-Myung. He appeared as the Messiah.
The Church became known worldwide for making mass wedding ceremonies that involve thousands of couples, many of which were matched by the organization.
Critics call the group as a cult, and lawyers have accused him of pressing members, known as “Moonies”, to give great sums of money.
The Church attracted worldwide attention in Japan after the murder of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The suspect blamed the group for his family’s bankruptcy and accused Abe of promoting him.
(BBC)
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