침묵과 부인으로 점철된 법정, 한학자 총재가 남긴 ‘정교유착’의 미스터리 > K-wave Trends

President Hak Ja Han, who appeared in court, took the microphone herself and strongly expressed her position with the permission of the presiding judge before the full-scale interrogation began. She completely denied the allegations that she handed over 100 million won in political funds to People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong and that she gifted first lady Kim Kun-hee an expensive necklace and Chanel bag. In particular, she chose a strategy of placing all responsibility on her close associates, saying that all these suspicions were false facts made up by former World Headquarters Director Yoon Young-ho, whom she trusted. Her claim that a person she cared for and trusted in the past is spreading false information on behalf of the church clearly shows the power conflict and division within the church. She emphasized that she has dedicated her life to realizing the Creator's will on earth, and repeatedly emphasized that she had nothing to do with worldly activities such as political bribery.

However, as the special prosecutor's team and former headquarters director Yoon Young-ho's lawyer continued to ask sharp questions, President Han's attitude changed 180 degrees. She argued that she had already made her intentions clear after her previous remarks, and continued to adopt a ‘silent strategy’ by refusing to testify to all subsequent questions. The special prosecutor tenaciously dug into everything from suspicions of funding to foreign politicians, including those in Nepal and Senegal, to instructions to support specific candidates during the presidential election. In response to this, President Han repeatedly answered that he did not remember or did not know, and even made it clear several times that he would refuse to testify. In particular, even though circumstances presented that former Director Yoon could not have handled the work arbitrarily without the president's approval, she resolutely avoided answering, raising the tension in the court to its peak.

One of the key issues revealed in this trial is the suspicion of ‘split sponsorship’ where church funds flowed into the political world and the leak of investigative information. Prosecutors and special prosecutors believe that Governor Han conspired with former Director Yoon and former Chief of Staff Jeong Won-ju to systematically distribute funds to People Power Party lawmakers around the 2022 presidential election. In addition, the charge of obtaining information on the police's expedition gambling investigation in advance and ordering the destruction of evidence suggests that this case may go beyond a simple violation of the political fund law and escalate into suspicions at the level of government interference. During the witness interrogation, President Han briefly denied that he had ever been informed of the fact that he had delivered the Graff necklace to First Lady Kim Kun-hee, but he put up a defensive shield by refusing to answer any questions about the specific flow of funds or the solicitation process. This can be interpreted as a highly strategic decision to minimize legal liability, and the court is faced with the difficult task of finding the truth by synthesizing the evidence submitted and the testimony of those involved.

While the trial was in progress, President Han's lawyers made every effort to exercise their right to defense, emphasizing that her health condition had deteriorated extremely and requesting a recess. The sight of her reading the oath in a wheelchair with the help of her grandchild may elicit sympathy from the public, but it is also being criticized as a means of avoiding legal responsibility. The special prosecutor's team is trying to prove that President Han used his position as the person in charge to lead the illegal solicitation and transfer of money, but President Han's consistent ignorance strategy is becoming an obstacle that slows down the speed of the investigation. Meanwhile, this incident clearly shows how deeply the large religious group called the Unification Church was in collusion with domestic politics. The faces of the people involved in this incident, including the appearance of Geonjinbeopsa Jeon Seong-bae as a mediator, are also blurring the boundaries between the political and religious worlds and inciting public outrage.