Seoul: Police have identified Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja as a suspect in a high-profile bribery case that involves politicians across both the ruling and opposition parties. The case gained traction as law enforcement conducted extensive raids to further the investigation, officials revealed on Monday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Han, who is already facing trial for allegedly gifting luxury items to Kim Keon Hee, the former first lady and wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, is now also linked to this new scandal. The case involves several politicians, notably former Oceans Minister Chun Jae-soo. As part of their probe, police executed search and seizure operations at Han's residence, Cheonjeonggung, in Gapyeong County, as well as the church's headquarters in Seoul, among eight other locations.

The investigation also aims to search the residences and offices of Chun, former Democratic Party lawmaker Lim Jong-seong, and former United Future Party lawmaker Kim Gyu-hwan. All three are suspected of receiving bribes from the Unification Church. The investigation followed testimony from a former church official, who is implicated in the bribery case involving the former first lady, claiming that the church aimed to support politicians from both major political parties.

Authorities plan to use the raids to obtain the church's financial records and trace the alleged bribes, which reportedly include luxury watches given to Chun. Additionally, police have scrutinized the office of special counsel Min Joong-ki, suspecting that his team did not fully disclose investigation records when transferring the case last week.

In response to the allegations, Chun, who stepped down as oceans minister last week, along with the two former lawmakers, have denied any wrongdoing. Yun Young-ho, the former church official who testified, has also been booked as a suspect in the bribery allegations.