Asia Pacific
CA
Unification Church Leader Is Arrested on Corruption Charges in South Korea
['Choe Sang-Hun']
NYT > Asia Pacific
The widow and successor of the Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon was arrested on Tuesday on charges of providing illegal political funds and bribing the wife of Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached and ousted as president of South Korea.
Han Hak-ja, 82, was being held in a jail south of Seoul after a court in the capital city issued a warrant for her arrest early Tuesday.
The court expressed concern that if she remained free she could try to destroy criminal evidence against her.
Ms. Han, known as “True Mother” among her followers in South Korea and abroad, has been leading the Unification Church since the Rev.
She and her church have not drawn much public attention in South Korea, a country with no shortage of politically influential or scandalous religious leaders.But Ms. Han and the Unification Church suddenly made headlines this year in connection with criminal investigations targeting Mr. Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee.
['church'
'south'
'charges'
'court'
'wife'
'moon'
'leader'
'unification'
'han'
'yoons'
'criminal'
'corruption'
'korea'
'arrested']