President’s Own Party Drawn into Lobbying Claims

The party of President Lee Jae-myung who appointed the special prosecutors, is now being scrutinized as allegedly gifts extend into Democratic Party ranks

In an article published 5^th December, the major South Korean daily newspaper Hankyoreh Shimbun, known for its progressive, liberal editorial stance, cracked open a new chapter in the ongoing story about special prosecutors detaining and interrogating persons they consider their enemies in or associated with the conservative People Power Party. The newspaper report had the long headline “Yoon Yeong-ho: ‘Tens of millions of won in Unification Church funds were delivered to Democratic Party lawmakers.’” It contains allegations that the governing Democratic Party will not find easy to respond to.

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The recent revelations emerging from the investigation into alleged political lobbying by figures connected to the Family Federation have opened an unexpected and potentially consequential chapter in South Korea’s ongoing political discourse. What began primarily as an inquiry into whether individuals within or around the previously ruling People Power Party may have received money or favors from the religious organization is now broadening in scope, following testimony that implicates senior members of the governing Democratic Party as well.

At the center of this expanding controversy is Yoon Yeong-ho (윤영호), the former head of the Family Federation’s World Headquarters, who is currently in detention and on trial for delivering money and valuables to individuals close to First Lady Kim Keon-hee (김건희) through a figure known publicly as “Geonjin Beopsa”, a fortune-teller named Jeon Seong-bae (전성배).

During interviews with the team of Special Prosecutor Min Jung-gi (민중기), Yoon reportedly acknowledged that his activities went beyond contact with conservative political circles. He stated that he had also provided substantial financial support – amounting to tens of millions of won – to influential Democratic Party lawmakers during the Moon Jae-in (문재인) administration.

These remarks, first revealed through The Hankyoreh’s reporting, raise questions about the breadth of Yoon’s political engagements and whether investigators adequately examined all sides of the alleged lobbying network. With only about three weeks left before the special prosecutor’s mandate runs out, the disclosures have triggered debate about potential investigative blind spots and the broader implications for political accountability.

According to the newspaper’s findings, Yoon’s testimony came during early August interviews, at a stage when the investigation was still beginning to take shape. Yoon is said to have asserted that he delivered tens of millions of won each to two senior Democratic Party politicians during the Moon Jae-in administration (2017-2022).

The large daily reports that Yoon further stated that these politicians had visited the Cheon Jeong Temple – one of the Family Federation’s central holy sites located in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province – where they met with Hak Ja Han (한학자), the leader and widow of the man she founded the Federation with – Sun Myung Moon (문선명). According to Yoon, the lawmakers were given funds following these visits.

The Hankyoreh newspaper is known for its investigative reporting and critical coverage of government power – especially conservative administrations. Now it seems the paper is also taking a closer look at the ruling Democratic Party.

The daily writes that one of the two individuals Yoon mentioned, is reportedly still serving as a Democratic Party lawmaker representing a constituency in the Yeongnam region. The other is a former member of the National Assembly. Yoon allegedly told investigators that between 2018 and 2019, he delivered 40 million won (US $ 27,200) in cash and a luxury watch valued at about 10 million won (US $ 6,800) to the sitting lawmaker. To the former lawmaker, he said he provided 30 million won (US $ 20,400) in 2020. These claims were not formalized in a written statement but were instead documented in an investigative report summarizing his interview.

Yoon elaborated on these points during his 5^th December court appearance before the 27th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court. There, he described himself as having been closer to the Democratic Party than to the People Power Party during the years 2017 to 2021. He also added that several Democratic Party-affiliated figures had direct interactions with Hak Ja Han.

Yoon asserted that he had provided the special prosecutor with a list containing four individuals – including an incumbent official at the ministerial level and sitting National Assembly members – to whom he claimed some form of support had been given. His remarks suggested that Family Federation outreach had not been ideologically one-sided but instead had sought political connections across the aisle, under the broader narrative of promoting national unity.

However, even as he affirmed that he had shared this information with investigators, Yoon did not disclose specific names during the court session, nor did he describe in detail the scale or nature of any alleged exchanges. His statements nonetheless introduce a new dimension to the investigation, broadening what had been largely viewed as a case involving elements within conservative political circles.

The article notes that the special prosecutor’s team declined to answer the Hankyoreh Shimbun’s questions about whether it had pursued follow-up investigations into the Democratic Party side of the allegations. Meanwhile, both lawmakers identified by Yoon have categorically denied his claims. The sitting lawmaker dismissed suggestions that he had ever visited the Cheon Jeong Temple or received large sums of cash or an expensive watch from the religious organization. The former lawmaker likewise stated that he had never met Hak Ja Han nor received any financial support from Family Federation affiliates.

As the investigation approaches its endpoint, these revelations place pressure on the special prosecutor to account for the breadth and even-handedness of its inquiries. Whether Yoon’s statements will lead to new investigative action or political repercussions remains uncertain, but they have undeniably complicated the narrative surrounding the Family Federation’s alleged role in political influence-peddling.

See also Investigators Investigated: South Korean Crisis

See also SKorea: Bribery Probe into Opposition Backfires

See also Escalation in Probe: 13-Hour Police Questioning

See also Lobbying Probe Risks Becoming a Witch Hunt

See also Balcomb: “Prosecutors’ Case Is Politically Driven”

Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: Hankyoreh journalists at work. Illustration: Microsoft Designer Image Creator, with added logos, 6th December 2025.

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