Former Aide Questioned in Police Leak Probe

Former Family Federation aide questioned as witness as special prosecutors trace path of leaked police intelligence in South Korea

South Korea’s Second Comprehensive Special Prosecutor Team, headed by Special Prosecutor Kweon Chang-yeong (권창영), has summoned Jeong Won-ju (정원주), the former chief of staff to Family Federation President Hak Ja Han (한학자), as a witness. In South Korea, the Family Federation is usually referred to as Unificationism (통일교). Jeong was questioned as part of the team’s continuing investigation into allegations that a police inquiry into suspected overseas gambling by senior leaders of the religious organization was deliberately suppressed. According to Yonhap News, Sisa Journal, Newsis, and many other media outlets, she was questioned on 31^st July. The interview marks the first time she has been questioned by the current special prosecutor team.

See also Inquiry into Alleged Investigation Leak Widened

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Although Jeong is not being questioned as a suspect in this particular investigation, her position as Hak Ja Han‘s former chief of staff places her at the center of questions about whether confidential police intelligence was passed from law enforcement to Family Federation officials before any formal investigation began. The special counsel is trying to determine how sensitive police information may have reached both political figures and representatives of the religious organization.

The case has its origins in June 2022, when the Chuncheon Police Station reportedly received intelligence alleging that Hak Ja Han (한학자) and other senior Family Federation officials had engaged in gambling at casinos in Las Vegas between 2008 and 2011, involving approximately 60 billion won (around US$43 million at current exchange rates). According to Yonhap News and Sisa Journal, investigators allege that instead of pursuing the matter, confidential information about the intelligence was leaked into political circles, preventing a full criminal investigation from taking place.

The current investigation is not primarily about whether the alleged gambling actually occurred. Rather, it focuses on whether police officers or senior officials improperly disclosed confidential investigative intelligence and whether influential figures subsequently ensured that the investigation never progressed. That alleged obstruction has become one of several unresolved issues inherited by the Second Comprehensive Special Prosecutor after three earlier special prosecutor investigations.

Silent Arrival at the Special Prosecutor’s Office

According to Sisa Journal and Newsis, Jeong arrived at the special prosecutor’s office in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, at approximately 9:55 a.m. on 31^st July before questioning began at 10:00 a.m.

Waiting reporters asked her several questions, including whether she had:

• reported investigative information to Hak Ja Han or other Unificationism leaders,
• received information about the police investigation from former lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong (권성동) or former Family Federation World Headquarters Director Yoon Yeong-ho (윤영호), or
• sought political assistance after learning that police possessed intelligence regarding the gambling allegations.

Both publications report that Jeong declined to answer any questions, walking directly into the interview room without making any public statement.

What Investigators Want to Know

All three articles mentioned above explain that investigators are particularly interested in determining whether confidential police intelligence reached the Family Federation before any formal investigation was launched.

According to Yonhap News, earlier investigators had already found indications that Family Federation officials became aware of the intelligence report and began preparing for a possible police investigation.

Sisa Journal similarly says prosecutors are examining whether police officers actually conveyed details of the intelligence directly to representatives of the religious organization.

Newsis provides the most detailed description of the investigators’ current theory. It reports that the special counsel believes former National Police Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun (윤희근) may have leaked police intelligence after receiving instructions from then-President Yoon Suk-yeol (윤석열) to ensure that the Family Federation could prepare for the investigation. The article further says investigators suspect Yoon Hee-geun (윤희근) was instructed to prevent any actual investigation from proceeding and that those instructions were passed through the National Police Agency‘s Criminal Intelligence Division to officials responsible for criminal intelligence within the National Office of Investigation.

These allegations represent the prosecution’s current investigative theory. No court has determined that such instructions were actually given.

Earlier Special Prosecutor Investigation

According to Yonhap News and Sisa Journal, an earlier special prosecutor investigation led by Min Joong-gi (민중기) had already resulted in indictments against former People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong (권성동), Hak Ja Han (한학자), and others.

That earlier investigation concluded that confidential police intelligence had been exchanged but was unable to determine exactly how the information leaked from within the police organization or whether higher-ranking officials had participated in the process. Those unresolved questions have now become the responsibility of the Second Comprehensive Special Prosecutor Team.

Previous Witnesses and Searches

The current investigation has already involved extensive investigative activity.

According to Yonhap News, investigators carried out searches of the National Police Agency, the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency, and the Chuncheon Police Station in April. Former National Police Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun (윤희근) has since been questioned twice as a criminal suspect, while former Family Federation World Headquarters Director Yoon Yeong-ho (윤영호) and several police officers formerly assigned to the National Police Agency‘s Criminal Intelligence Division have also been interviewed as witnesses.

Newsis adds that Yoon Yeong-ho was questioned on 2^nd July because investigators believe he received information concerning the police intelligence from former lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong (권성동) in October 2022.

Police Intelligence Reports

The Newsis article also includes additional details that help explain how the case first developed.

It reports that a police officer formerly stationed at Chuncheon testified earlier this year during Hak Ja Han‘s separate trial on alleged violations of the Political Funds Act. According to his testimony, the Chuncheon Police Station received three separate reports from an insider within the Family Federation between May and July 2022 alleging that Hak Ja Han (한학자) frequently engaged in overseas gambling using cash provided by members of the religious organization.

The officer testified that police prepared intelligence reports based on those allegations and entered them into the police intelligence system.

According to Newsis, these reports received the classification “Byeolbo” (별보 – Special Intelligence Report), the highest level of police intelligence reporting, meaning they would also be shared with the South Korean Presidential Office. Nevertheless, the National Police Agency reportedly decided on 15^th July 2022, not to assign the matter to criminal investigators, citing insufficient supporting evidence, and instead archived the reports without opening a formal investigation.

Separate Criminal Proceedings

Although Jeong Won-ju (정원주) appeared only as a witness in this investigation, Sisa Journal notes that she is already standing trial in a separate criminal case.

In that case, prosecutors allege that she conspired with Hak Ja Han (한학자) and others in 2022 to provide 100 million won (in 2022 ca. US$ 77,000) to former lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong (권성동) and also arranged so-called “split donations” – the practice of dividing political contributions among multiple nominal donors – using Family Federation funds to support members of the National Assembly.

Those charges are legally separate from the present investigation into the alleged suppression of the overseas gambling inquiry, although several of the same individuals appear in both proceedings. The questioning of Jeong as a witness suggests that the special prosecutor is continuing to reconstruct the chain through which confidential police intelligence may have traveled from law enforcement to political figures and, ultimately, to officials within the Family Federation.

See also Inquiry into Alleged Investigation Leak Widened

See also Democratic Party Leadership Race ’26 Scrutinized

See also Prosecution’s Star Witness Challenged by Defense

See also Religious Freedom in S Korea: European Concern

See also Korea Warned at Crossroads on Religious Freedom

Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: Alleged police intelligence leak. Illustration: ChatGPT, 31^st July 2026, edited.

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