Raids Blur Line Between Justice and Politics

South Korean authorities’ overreach decried as Family Federation sees raids on its sacred sites and gets drawn into the country’s fierce power struggle

The Washington Times carried on 22^nd July a report headlined “Family Federation under scrutiny in South Korea over alleged bribery of former first lady”. It was written by Andrew Salmon, the paper’s Asia Editor.

**Kim Keon-hee**, here in Washington DC 10th July 2024. Photo: Jim Bourg/U.S. Department of State. Public domain image. Cropped

The article sheds light on the the current South Korean administration’s aggressive pursuit of investigations into former President Yoon Suk-yeol (윤석열), his wife Kim Keon-hee (김건희). But as the headline indicates, considerable attention is given to the fact that the “vortex of scandals […] has sucked in the Family Federation, formerly known as the Unification Church”

Basically, the piece by Andrew Salmon reveals a troubling pattern of overreach, politicization of justice, and potential abuse of state power. While rooting out corruption is a legitimate government responsibility, the scope, intensity, and optics of these investigations increasingly resemble a political purge cloaked in the language of accountability.

First, the use of disproportionate force in the recent raids – including the deployment of riot police, military police, and a convoy of vehicles – raises serious concerns about the administration’s approach to law enforcement. The description of a “military-style operation” at the Federation‘s Gapyeong complex, widely viewed as sacred by adherents, crosses a line from legitimate investigation into intimidation.

The Washington Times quotes Demian Dunkley, President of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in USA, as saying,

“The Family Federation has always cooperated fully with governmental inquiries – not just in Korea, but around the world. We have shown respect even when our beliefs were misunderstood, even when our practices were questioned. That cooperation was not returned.”

Commenting on what the paper calls a “massive search-and-seizure operation” on 18^th July, Dunkley states it was “not law enforcement – it was political theater, conducted with unnecessary force.”

Rev. Dunkley also condemned the treatment by the current administration of the Family Federation co-founder Hak Ja Han (82),

“Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon is a global advocate for dialogue, reconciliation and unity. To respond to her message of peace with aggression is not just unfair – it is unjust.”

Such tactics suggest the government is not merely pursuing justice but rather sending a message to dissenting institutions: cooperate or be crushed.

This is particularly alarming given the Federation’s global presence and advocacy for conservative family values – positions often at odds with South Korea’s increasingly progressive political mainstream. Targeting a religious organization in this fashion invites comparisons to authoritarian regimes that have used state machinery to suppress minority beliefs under the guise of law enforcement. The rhetoric of Rev. Damian Dunkley – calling the raid “political theater” and “a gross misuse of taxpayer-funded resources” – echoes the frustrations of many who see this not as justice, but vendetta.

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, here in a meeting at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., 27th April 2023. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Alexander Kubitza / US Secretary of Defense. License: CC Attr 2.0 Gen. Cropped

The Yoon administration is no longer in power; the current government, instead of focusing on forward-looking policies, appears consumed with retroactive investigations. With agencies such as the Corruption Investigation Office, the Supreme Prosecutors Office, and even the military police involved in these probes, the breadth of the effort seems less about justice and more about domination of the public narrative. Are all these agencies necessary to investigate a former first lady over a handbag and jewelry? Or is this a convenient pretext to dig deeper into ideological opponents and political adversaries?

Moreover, the fact that religious institutions are caught in the crossfire suggests a worrying erosion of civil liberties. Regardless of one’s views on the Family Federation, South Korea has a constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. When sacred sites are treated as crime scenes without transparent cause, and religious leaders are effectively treated as criminal suspects, it weakens not just that particular group but the broader principle of freedom of belief in South Korean society.

The question must also be asked: to what end? If the objective is transparency and rooting out corruption, then where is the proportionality? Where is the consistency? Are similar resources being applied to allegations involving allies of the current administration? If not, this begins to look very much like selective justice, a tool historically employed by autocrats and strongmen to neutralize rivals and consolidate control.

Even beyond religion, the scope of investigations now spans shamans, army officials, and media acquisition attempts. The breadth of targets suggests an ideological cleansing more than a focused effort to fight corruption. The inclusion of spiritual figures and minor players stretches the plausibility of any cohesive criminal conspiracy and instead gives the appearance of a wide net cast for political advantage.

In democratic societies, justice must not only be done – it must be seen to be done. That requires fairness, proportionality, and transparency. The current administration’s conduct – from its choice of targets to its tactics – risks undermining public faith in those very principles. If South Korea wishes to maintain its democratic integrity, it must urgently reconsider whether its pursuit of accountability is veering dangerously into the territory of repression.

True justice is blind. Political justice, however, sees only enemies.

See also related article

Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: Candlelight rally to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol at the South Korean National Assembly on 4th December 2024. In the middle is current President Lee jae Myung. Photo: Daily Minjoo / Wikimedia Commons. License: CC Attr 3.0 Unp.

Related to raids on sacred sites: God and Human Beings

Also related to raids on sacred sites: The Kingdom of Heaven

And also related to raids on sacred sites: True Love

More, related to raids on sacred sites: The Value of the Family

And more, related to raids on sacred sites: God’s ideal

Yet more, related to raids on sacred sites: Essence of God

And more, related to raids on sacred sites: God’s Essence: Harmonious Union of Male/Female

And more, related to raids on sacred sites: The 3 Great Blessings: God’s Divine Plan

And more, related to raids on sacred sites: Our Key Role: Co-Creating Heavenly Parent’s Dream

Still more, related to raids on sacred sites: God’s Sorrow

Yet more, related to raids on sacred sites: Suffering of God

And yet more, related to raids on sacred sites: Family values