Seoul: A Seoul district court on Monday sentenced Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja to two years in prison in a bribery case where the religious group sought to secure favors from the administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The court found Han guilty of giving luxury bribes to Yoon's wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee, and illegal funds to a former lawmaker.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul Central District Court handed down the sentence for the 83-year-old Han, alongside a six-month prison term for Yun Young-ho, a former head of the church's global headquarters. A former aide to Han received a suspended prison term, both indicted in connection with the case. Following the ruling, the Unification Church expressed its intent to appeal, apologizing for the concern caused yet disputing the judgment.

In its ruling, the court convicted Han of violating the anti-graft law by gifting a luxury necklace and a Chanel bag to the former first lady in exchange for favors for the church through an intermediary in July 2022. Additionally, Han was found guilty of collaborating with former church officials to give 100 million won (US$66,400) to Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the then ruling People Power Party (PPP) in January 2022.

Special counsel Min Joong-ki's team charged that Han sought Kweon's assistance to gain favors for the church in anticipation of Yoon's potential election as president, which he subsequently won. The court remarked that the defendants used the church's financial power to exploit the presidential election as a means to expand political influence, regardless of whether the church's requests were fulfilled, thus violating public trust in state policies.

Kweon lost his National Assembly seat in July after the Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling sentencing him to a two-year prison term for accepting illegal funds from the church. On Monday, the court convicted Han and other former church officials of making illegal political donations worth 144 million won using church funds in March 2022. However, Han was acquitted of embezzlement charges related to these donations.

The court dismissed charges against Han for embezzling 787 million won worth of church funds for campaign contributions to politicians in Nepal and Senegal between May and July 2022, citing these charges as beyond the special counsel's investigative scope. The special counsel team had initially sought a 13-year prison term for Han.