(C) The Boston Globe
 
SEOUL — Former and current executives of the Unification Church (Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, FFWPU) have testified in court that they were instructed to provide political donations to the People Power Party (PPP), the party of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. However, the complex legal battle against FFWPU leader Hak Ja Han Moon and other top officials saw several witnesses partially retract or soften their statements, particularly regarding whether the directives originated directly from Han Moon herself.

The Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 27 (Presiding Judge Woo In-sung) held the second public trial on December 8 for Han Moon, former Chief of Staff Jung Won-joo, and former World Headquarters Director General Yoon Young-ho. They are facing charges including violations of the Political Funds Act and the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

Allegations of Direct Financial and Organizational Support

Ten former and current Unification Church officials testified during the hearing, painting a picture of significant organizational efforts aimed at assisting the ruling conservative party, the PPP.

A former executive, identified as Mr. Hwang, was asked about directives to enroll members into the PPP and assist in the party’s leadership election (convention) in February 2023. Mr. Hwang confirmed, “I received instructions that it would be good to enroll them [as party members].”

Another executive, Mr. Park, admitted that the church provided political contributions to the PPP around the time of the 20th Presidential Election. When asked if he was instructed to provide donations to the PPP's city and provincial branches in early March 2022, Mr. Park responded, “Yes, that is correct.” He further testified that prior to the PPP’s 3rd National Convention, he was instructed to collect membership applications from church members to register them as "responsible party members," stating he personally believed the effort was necessary for the convention.

Mr. Yoo, another official, confirmed receiving a “request for cooperation” regarding supporting a specific candidate, former lawmaker Kim Gi-hyeon, in the PPP convention.

Furthermore, Mr. Cho, who worked in the General Affairs Department, stated he received 210 million won (approximately $160,000 USD) designated for "negotiation expenses for the People Power Party" to be distributed to city and provincial branches. In a separate incident, Mr. Kang, an executive, confirmed that a donation was made in his name to PPP lawmaker Yoon Han-heung in 2022, though he claimed he was unaware of the donation at the time it was made.

Contradictions and Retractions

A key focus of the defense's strategy—and the cause of the contradictory testimony—was to sever the link between the alleged political activities and the specific directive of Hak Ja Han Moon.

Several witnesses, including Mr. Park, maintained that their actions were carried out under the explicit instruction of former World Headquarters Director General Yoon Young-ho, rather than the ultimate authority of Han Moon. Mr. Park stated he was merely “obeying the instruction of former Director General Yoon.”

Crucially, some witnesses partially retracted their earlier statements made during the special prosecution (특검) investigation, suggesting the influence came from below the top leader.

Han Moon’s Speech Interpretation: Mr. Park was asked if he interpreted Hak Ja Han Moon’s speech at a special assembly on March 2, 2022, as a call to support former President Yoon Suk Yeol. He replied, “That is not correct.” When confronted with his previous testimony to the special prosecution team, Mr. Park claimed the atmosphere during the investigation was “coercive” and steered towards that interpretation, insisting his current statement reflects his personal, multi-faceted interpretation of her words.
Direct Mention of Candidate: Mr. Cho, while confirming his previous special prosecution testimony that the political intervention was not just Yoon Young-ho’s personal opinion and that the Unification Church always sought to elect “righteous individuals,” later modified his statement regarding Han Moon's direct involvement. When asked if Han Moon had implicitly urged support for the conservative candidate (Yoon Suk Yeol) without direct mention, Mr. Cho clarified, “I felt it indirectly, personally, but Madam Han did not mention him directly,” retracting his previous, more affirmative statement.
The defense appears to be leveraging these contradictions to argue that any political involvement was orchestrated by subordinate officials, particularly Yoon Young-ho, shielding the ultimate responsibility from the Unification Church leader. The trial continues to scrutinize the hierarchy of command and the intent behind the organizational efforts to support the ruling party, keeping the spotlight intensely focused on the deep-rooted entanglement between a major religious organization and national politics.