How Many More Cases Against Mother Han (83)?

Special prosecutors open new front against elderly and frail Hak Ja Han as number of cases grows in Lee administration’s broader campaign targeting perceived political opponents

After 180 days of investigation yielded no evidence sufficient to warrant an indictment, the special prosecutors nevertheless declined to close the case. According to several South Korean media outlets, Yoon Hee-keun (윤희근), a former Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, subsequently questioned how long the government intended to continue using what he called the “political-retaliation special prosecutors” as a political weapon. Yoon himself had been investigated by special prosecutors appointed by the current Lee Jae-myung (이재명) administration.

See also Mother Han Sentenced to 2 Years in First Trial

See also Mother Han Verdict: Family Federation Responds

See also Religion-Politics Probe Ends: 32 Indictments

See also Calls for Renewal at Father Moon Anniversary

See also Mother Han’s Detention Suspension Extended Again

Commenting on the same case, South Korea’s daily Segye Ilbo likewise raised concerns in a 24^th August editorial about whether the country was heading toward a situation in which special prosecutors could continue operating throughout the entire term of President Lee Jae-myung, whose current term runs until June 2030.

Critics argue that this tendency is becoming increasingly apparent in the latest developments surrounding what they regard as the left-leaning Lee administration’s broader campaign against Hak Ja Han (한학자) and the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, an organization that South Korean media generally refer to as Unificationism (통일교) or the Unification Church.

On 28^th August, three South Korean news outlets – News1, Newsis and Dailian – reported that Hak Ja Han – also called Mother Han – and three current or former senior officials of the religious organization had been formally indicted over allegations that approximately 10.5 billion won (about US$7.5 million) in Family Federation funds had been embezzled over an eight-year period.

The reports concern a new set of allegations involving the handling of the religious organization’s funds, and should be distinguished from the separate political-funding allegations for which Mother Han is already awaiting a verdict. Importantly, the reported embezzlement allegations are prosecutorial allegations, not findings of guilt. An indictment means that prosecutors have formally brought a criminal case before a court; guilt or innocence will ultimately be determined through the judicial process.

In this context, the prosecution’s theory appears to be that the defendants had legitimate access to or control over Family Federation money because of their positions, but allegedly diverted some of that money away from its proper organizational purpose and into unauthorized personal control.

That distinction matters. The reports do not say that investigators are simply accusing Mother Han of having personally spent 10.5 billion won on luxury goods, property, travel, or other personal expenses. Nor do they say that she personally withdrew every amount. The reported allegation is instead centred on the diversion, falsification of accounting and storage of the money.

What is the “Joint Investigation Headquarters”?

All three media reports mentioned above identify the investigating body as 합수본 (hapsubon), an abbreviation for Joint Investigation Headquarters. In these articles, it refers to a special investigative body bringing together prosecutors and police to investigate allegations described as “collusion between religion and politics” (정교유착).

The Korean term 정교유착 literally combines 정교 (“religion and politics” or “church and state”) with 유착 (“collusive ties” or “improperly close connections”). It does not simply mean that religious organizations and politicians have contact with each other. Rather, in this investigative context, it refers to allegations that religious organizations and political figures developed improper or potentially corrupt relationships – for example, through political contributions, requests for political assistance, influence-peddling or other exchanges of benefits.

The Joint Investigation Headquarters is headed by Kim Tae-hoon (김태훈), Chief Prosecutor of the Daejeon High Prosecutors’ Office. It has been investigating a broad range of allegations involving the Family Federation and political figures.

The new embezzlement allegations

According to News1, the Joint Investigation Headquarters indicted four people without detention on 27^th August: Hak Ja Han (한학자); Jeong Won-ju (정원주), her former chief of staff; Yoon Yeong-ho (윤영호), former Director-General of the Family Federation‘s World Headquarters; and a former head of its Central Administration Office, identified only as “A.”

“Indicted without detention” (불구속 기소) is an important feature of South Korean criminal procedure. It means that prosecutors have decided to prosecute the suspects while they remain at liberty rather than keeping them in custody pending trial. It does not mean that the allegations are considered less serious or that the defendants have been found guilty.

The three media outlets broadly agree on the central allegation. They report that the four defendants are accused of diverting approximately 10.5 billion won in Family Federation funds between 2017 and 2025.

The alleged mechanism is also described similarly. According to the investigators, senior Family Federation officials acted in concert to falsify accounting records, thereby concealing the movement of the money, and subsequently kept bundles of cash in a safe in Mother Han‘s private quarters.

News1 describes this as the Joint Investigation Headquarters’ assessment, while Newsis and Dailian similarly emphasize the alleged conspiracy among senior officials, the false accounting and the storage of cash in Mother Han‘s private safe. None of the three reports presents this account as a judicially established fact.

The investigation reportedly intensified in May 2026, when investigators carried out searches and seizures at the Family Federation‘s Cheon Jeong Temple (천정궁) complex in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, as well as other related facilities, including its Seoul headquarters and the Hyojeong Global Unification Foundation, an asset-management and property-holding body. A search and seizure (압수수색) is an investigative measure through which authorities seek to secure documents, electronic records, financial records or other evidence potentially relevant to a criminal case.

How this relates to the existing case against Mother Han

The above media reports also connect the new indictment to the already pending criminal proceedings against Mother Han and others at the Seoul Central District Court.

The court’s 27th Criminal Division, presided over by Judge Woo In-seong (우인성), is scheduled to issue a verdict on 31^st August in the existing case. That case involves allegations including violations of the Political Funds Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, including embezzlement. Newsis describes the 31^st August proceedings somewhat differently, highlighting the Political Funds Act and the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act (Kim Young-ran Act).

A significant distinction is therefore necessary: the 31^st August verdict concerns charges already before the court, while the 10.5-billion-won embezzlement allegations reported on 28^th August have now resulted in a new indictment.

The 13-year sentence requested by prosecutors

All three reports mention that the Kim Keon-hee (김건희) Special Prosecutor’s Team, headed by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-gi (민중기), requested a total sentence of 13 years in prison at the final hearing last month.

News1 provides more detail, saying prosecutors requested five years for the alleged Political Funds Act violation and eight years for the remaining charges.

At her final statement, Mother Han rejected the suggestion that she had sought political influence through money, saying, “I do not seek power through money.” She nevertheless apologized for having, as leader of the Family Federation, unintentionally caused controversy in various respects.

Thus, as presented by News1, Newsis and Dailian, the 28^th August development represents a significant expansion of the legal case surrounding the Family Federation: alongside the political-funding allegations for which a verdict is expected on 31^st August, investigators have now brought a separate prosecution alleging that 10.5 billion won of the religious organization‘s funds was systematically misappropriated over eight years. Whether those allegations can be substantiated remains for the courts to determine.

See also Mother Han Sentenced to 2 Years in First Trial

See also Mother Han Verdict: Family Federation Responds

See also Religion-Politics Probe Ends: 32 Indictments

See also Calls for Renewal at Father Moon Anniversary

See also Mother Han’s Detention Suspension Extended Again

See also Responsibility Must Be Proven in Appeal Court

Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: How many more cases in left-leaning Lee administration’s broader campaign against Mother Han? Illustration: ChatGPT, 29^th August 2026

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