Seoul: A special counsel team announced Tuesday that it has transferred a case involving allegations that the Unification Church supported Democratic Party (DP) politicians ahead of the 2022 presidential election to the police, amid criticism of a politically biased investigation.
According to Yonhap News Agency, special counsel Min Joong-ki’s team has referred the preliminary probe to the National Office of Investigation under the National Police Agency. This decision comes as the team faces criticism from opposition lawmakers for allegedly focusing its investigation on illegal political funds linked to People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers, despite a former Unification Church official’s testimony suggesting DP lawmakers also received support.
Yun Young-ho, the former head of the church’s global headquarters, reportedly informed the team that he had provided tens of millions of won to two DP lawmakers from 2018 to 2020. Yun also claimed that the church supported 15 DP politicians through various means, including political donations and book purchases. These revelations have led to criticisms that Min’s team may have conducted a biased investigation, concentrating only on the PPP, while allegations involving the DP emerged solely through Yun’s testimony.
The special counsel team, acknowledging Yun’s claims, stated that the case does not fall within the scope of its investigation. The team is tasked with probing corruption allegations surrounding former first lady Kim Keon Hee, wife of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol, and is required to maintain political neutrality under the special counsel law.
The decision to transfer the case to police is seen as an effort to address concerns of selective investigation and ensure comprehensive review of all related allegations. With the statute of limitations for violations of the Political Funds Act being seven years, the case involving payments made in 2018 is approaching expiration at the end of this year.