Seoul:The Unification Church foundation attempted to sell assets valued at 52.3 billion won (US$39 million) while being investigated over corruption charges connected to former President Yoon Suk Yeol. However, these attempts have not been successful, according to a statement made by a lawmaker on Wednesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the ruling Democratic Party reported that the Foundation for the Support of HSA-UWC, operated by the Unification Church, filed applications with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in December and March to sell its land and buildings. Both requests were rejected by the ministry.

Nonprofit organizations, including religious foundations, are legally required to obtain approval from the ministry before selling core assets like land and buildings. The foundation's December application to sell assets worth about 52 billion won in Seoul was denied due to a lack of a specific plan for their use amidst ongoing investigations by a special counsel and police.

A subsequent application in March aimed to sell assets valued at about 300 million won in Gapyeong, east of Seoul, but was similarly rejected. The church's leadership is currently on trial for bribery, election meddling, and embezzlement charges.

The Unification Church foundation clarified that the property in question houses the printing presses of the Segye Times, a daily published by the church. The foundation stated that the newspaper proposed buying the building to stabilize its printing operations, and they planned to use the proceeds from the sale to support missionary activities.

Rep. Jin called for amendments to the ministry's guidelines to prevent asset disposals by organizations under investigation, highlighting that while the current rules specify approval authority, they do not provide specific grounds for rejection.

Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young responded by stating that the ministry plans to integrate reasonable guidelines into its rules to ensure fair practices without infringing on the autonomy of organizations.