Widow of Moonies’ Founder Sentenced to Two Years in Korea for Accepting a Chanel Handbag and Necklace as a Bribe

The religious movement famed as the “Moonies” has suffered another setback with the sentencing of the widow of the founder of the Unification Church, the Reverend Moon Sun-myung, to two years in prison for bribing the wife of South Korea’s disgraced former president, Yoon Suk-yeol.The 83-year-old widow, Han Hak-ja, who leads the church in the name of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, had remained out of jail after having been indicted nearly a year ago for bribing Yoon’s wife with a Chanel handbag and a necklace. Also convicted of bribing a former member of South Korea’s national assembly, she was freed on health grounds but is due to return to prison on Wednesday. The verdict by Seoul’s District Court marks another step in the long decline of the Unification Church since the death of its founder, Reverend Moon, 14 years ago at the age of 92. Han by then had gained control of the church, calling herself “the true mother.” The couple also called themselves “the true parents” as parents of their own 13 sons and daughters and also of their followers worldwide. They presided over elaborate mass ceremonies in which couples were married without previously knowing each other.The case reflects the right-left struggle between South Korea’s left-leaning government and conservatives who rallied around Yoon, whose short-lived attempt at imposing martial law in December 2024 led to his ouster, impeachment and imprisonment along with dozens of his allies, including the prime minister, defense minister and police commander. Han was firmly on the side of Yoon’s People Power Party against the leftist Minju, or Democratic Party, led by President Lee Jae-myung.The court found Han and two other former church officials guilty of having seen the South Korean presidential election “as an opportunity to expand its influence.” In its ruling, the court said she had “committed crimes with the purpose of expanding political influence.”The court, however, was merciful to Han in deference to her age and physical condition. The prosecution had requested a sentence of 13 years in line with far more severe sentences imposed on Yoon and his confederates. The court also imposed light sentences on the two others, six months for one and a suspended jail term for the other.Nonetheless, the case is another blow in the fortunes of the church, which has lost its biggest source of funds since the assassination in 2022 of the former Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, by a man who said the church had gotten his mother to donate her life’s savings. Mr. Abe had close ties with the church as a source of donations and political support. The church in Japan, accused of exploiting thousands of donors, was dissolved by court order last year, and the flow of much needed funds from Japan to South Korea and America has dried up. Han has also been at the center of controversy in America in battles with family members for control of an empire that included hundreds of enterprises, ranging from the Washington Times to the Hotel New Yorker.“Some still involved with her church appear to be maintaining longstanding community/social ties,” a former executive of her companies told the Sun. Church members have focused on ”her husband’s legacy as the teacher of the Divine Principle and the founder of countless organizations and businesses including the Washington Times,” he said.”The dissolution of the church in Japan cut off a primary financial lifeline and has resulted in the sale of many church properties.”In America, before the court in Seoul announced its verdict, the Family Federation reported followers gathering outside its International Peace Education Center in Las Vegas “for a prayer vigil” for Han, “known worldwide as the Mother of Peace.” Participants prayed before “the iconic globe outside of the center,” said the Federation, as “part of a broader show of prayer and solidarity for Dr. Han by supporters around the world.”

Widow of Moonies’ Founder Sentenced to Two Years in Korea for Accepting a Chanel Handbag and Necklace as a Bribe

Widow of Moonies’ Founder Sentenced to Two Years in Korea for Accepting a Chanel Handbag and Necklace as a Bribe

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