Return to Custody as Court Rejects Health Plea

Mother Han’s continued custody reflects hard line by left-leaning Lee administration on religious organizations perceived to champion conservative causes

Chosun Ilbo, a large South Korean daily, carried 21^st February a news item headlined “Han Hak-ja’s Request to Extend Suspension of Detention Denied. Returns to Detention Center”.

See also More Humanity Even in A Communist Prison?

See also Indictment Language Challenged by Defense

See also Religion, Politics, and Money at Center of Trial

See also Global Clergy Visit Detained Mother Han

See also Alleged Attempt to Influence Witness Statements

The paper reported that a South Korean court has ordered 83-year-old religious leader Hak Ja Han (한학자) – also called Mother Han – to return to detention after denying her request to extend a temporary medical release. Mother Han, the head of Unificationism – formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification – is currently on trial over allegations that her organization illegally funneled political donations and provided high-value gifts to influential political figures.

The decision was made by the 27th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, led by Presiding Judge Woo In-seong (우인성). Mother Han had been temporarily released on 12^th February on health grounds, after her lawyers argued that she had suffered three falls while in custody and was experiencing serious complications from high blood pressure and glaucoma. The court had allowed her release under conditions, enabling her to receive outside medical treatment. However, when her legal team sought to extend that suspension, the court rejected the request. She returned to the Seoul Detention Center at approximately 2 p.m. on 21^st February.

Under South Korea’s Criminal Procedure Act, courts may suspend detention when there are compelling humanitarian reasons – such as serious illness, childbirth, or the need to attend a family funeral. In practice, such suspensions are temporary and subject to judicial discretion. Mother Han had previously received a short medical suspension in November 2025 for hospital treatment lasting three days. The court’s latest decision indicates that judges concluded either that her medical needs no longer required outside release or that the legal criteria for continued suspension were not sufficiently met.

According to the Chosun Ilbo report, the charges against Mother Han are significant. The prosecutors appointed by the current Lee administration, seen as leftwing, allege that in January 2022 she conspired with former senior Federation official Yoon Yeong-ho (윤영호) to deliver 100 million won (approximately USD $75,000 at the time) to People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong (권성동).

The alleged purpose was to secure favorable treatment from the administration of then-President Yoon Suk-yeol (윤석열) for certain projects promoted by the religious organization, one of which was to obtain government backing for a potential Asian UN office located in South Korea. It is primarily a project intended to create peace on the Korean peninsula, not to strengthen the Family Federation.

Additional accusations claim that between April and July 2022, 144 million won in funds from the religious organization while Yoon Yeong-ho served as its secretary-general, were divided into smaller donations and distributed to multiple ruling party lawmakers – a practice known in Korea as “split donations”, which can violate campaign finance laws.

Further allegations involve luxury gifts. Prosecutors claim that through an intermediary religious figure known as “Geonjin Beopsa” (건진 법사), expensive items – including a Chanel handbag and a high-value Graff necklace – were delivered to First Lady Kim Keon-hee (김건희) in July 2022 in connection with pending matters promoted by Yoon Yeong-ho.

Mother Han also faces charges under the Political Parties Act for allegedly directing Federation members to collectively join the ruling People Power Party in order to influence its March 2023 leadership primary.

For international observers, the image of an octogenarian religious leader with serious health concerns being held in detention may simply appear outrageous. However, several political and legal factors help explain the situation.

First, South Korea has in recent decades developed a strong prosecutorial culture centered on political accountability. Former presidents, cabinet ministers, corporate conglomerate heads, and party leaders have all faced investigation, imprisonment, or both. Pretrial detention is more commonly used in high-profile corruption cases than in many Western democracies, particularly where prosecutors argue there is risk of evidence tampering or coordination among co-defendants.

Second, there are powerful political forces actively campaigning against the religious organization currently led by Mother Han. In Japan, the communist party leadership has publicly stated that they are actively waging the “final war” against the Family Federation. Lawyers from the far left of the political spectrum founded a network of activist lawyers that for decades has been demanding the dissolution of the Federation.

Recently, Lee Jae-myung (이재명), the left-leaning President of South Korea stated publicly that he wants to initiate a similar process, not just against Mother Han’s organization, but also Shincheonji [See editor’s note below], another fairly large new religious movement regarded as conservative. In addition, even large Christian churches perceived to support conservative political causes have come under intense scrutiny from the Lee administration. Against this backdrop, courts may feel pressure to demonstrate that they are not taking lightly on the allegations – in Mother Han’s case, in spite of her frailty, poor health, old age, and absence of any previous criminal record.

Third, the case is unfolding in a polarized political climate. Allegations involve senior figures associated with the current or former ruling camp, making the matter politically charged. In such circumstances, judicial authorities may be especially cautious about appearing lenient.

At the same time, critics argue that humanitarian considerations should weigh more heavily when a defendant is elderly and medically fragile. Korean law does allow for suspension in cases of serious illness, but the standard is not automatic; courts balance medical evidence against legal risks.

Ultimately, Mother Han’s continued detention reflects the current administration’s increasingly aggressive approach to cases involving religious bodies – one that is ready to punish and even dissolve large religious organizations, even when it is only a handful of individuals that may have broken laws, some of which apply to grey-zone areas in the relationship between religion and politics.

See also More Humanity Even in A Communist Prison?

See also Indictment Language Challenged by Defense

See also Religion, Politics, and Money at Center of Trial

See also Global Clergy Visit Detained Mother Han

See also Alleged Attempt to Influence Witness Statements

Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: Image showing how Mother Han may well appear now. Illustration: Grok xAI, 21st February 2026.

[Editor’s note: Shincheonji, officially known as Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, is a new religious movement founded in South Korea in 1984 by Lee Man-hee, who claims to be the promised pastor mentioned in the Bible’s Book of Revelation. Shincheonji teaches that the Book of Revelation is being fulfilled through its church and that Lee Man-hee has received divine revelation to interpret it.]

See also In Tiny Solitary Cell: Irreversible Harm Caused

See also Mother Han Released 10 Days for Medical Reasons

See also Emotional Scenes as Mother Han Is Freed Briefly

See also Religious Freedom Threat: China-Led Alliance

See also Gingrich Warns Against State Control of Faith

See also Domino Effect of Religious Persecution in Asia

See also Unificationism, Industry, and Cold War Survival

See also Current Korean Situation: Context and Key Issues

See also Court: Prosecutors’ Overreach in Politicized Case

See also S. Korea’s Troubling Pattern of Selective Probes

See also Unificationism Emerging as a World Religion

See also Alarm Over State Interference in Religion

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