The leader of the Unification Church, Han Hak-ja, has been sentenced to two years in prison for bribery offences in South Korea. A court found that her church provided two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace, valued at 80 million won (approximately £42,500), to Kim Keon Hee, the wife of former president Yoon Suk Yeol.
Earlier this year, Kim Keon Hee received a 20-month jail sentence for accepting bribes from the church. Prosecutors stated that the luxury items were received between April and July 2022, allegedly in exchange for business and political favours.
Han, 83, who is the widow of the church's founder Sun Myung Moon, had denied the allegations. A special counsel team appointed to the case described the probe as the first time authorities had confirmed the church's attempts to buy political influence.