Trial Day 1: Mother Han Denies All Allegations

Mother Han (82) denies all allegations on day 1 of high-profile trial in Seoul amid disputes over alleged church-state collusion

The first full trial of Family Federation President Hak Ja Han (한학자) – by many called Mother Han – was held on 1^st December at the Seoul Central District Court. The proceedings opened with firm denials from Mother Han’s legal team in response to a series of allegations involving unlawful political contributions, luxury gifts to figures connected to the presidential office, and what prosecutors describe as a pattern of improper church-state dealings.

See also Continuation of Trial: Who Was Really in Charge?

See also Bail Hearing with Mother Han’s Spiritual Message

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

See also: Likely Long Legal Battle Ahead for Mother Han

See also Asia Today Editorial: “Avoid Detention of Clergy!”

See also Complaint Filed Against Lead Special Prosecutor

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According to the large news agency Reuters, Mother Han (82) sat quietly through the proceedings, sometimes with closed eyes. She told the court she was not interested in politics,

“I had no interest in politics in this country […] Every politician, people in religious and academic communities know me as a mother of peace.”

The case, brought by the special counsel of prosecutors appointed by the current Lee Jae-myung (이재명) administration to investigate matters connected to former First Lady Kim Keon-hee (김건희), has drawn significant public attention due to its intersection of politics, religion, and questions about the misuse of religious funds.

The large daily Chosun Biz published 1^st Dec. a report with the long headline “Suspicion of Church-State Collusion – Unification Church President Hak Ja Han Denies Charges at First Trial – ‘Actions Were Yoon Yeong-ho’s Doing Alone’”. According to the article, Mother Han was indicted and detained as part of a broader investigation into suspected “church-state collusion” between senior figures in the Family Federation and individuals linked to the Yoon Suk-yeol (윤석열) administration, the losing side in the June national snap election.

The specially appointed prosecutors allege that Mother Han and several close aides provided political funds to members of the People Power Party that governed the country from 2022 to 2025. It is alleged that the funds were part of an attempt to cultivate influence through concealed financial transactions and the provision of luxury goods. These actions, prosecutors argue, were aimed at securing political access and favorable treatment.

According to Chosun Biz, the trial centers on several key accusations. Prosecutors claim that in early January 2022, Mother Han conspired with her then-chief secretary Jeong and former headquarters director Yoon Yeong-ho (윤영호) to deliver 100 million won (US $68,000) in cash to People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong (권성동).

Additional allegations assert that organizational funds from the Family Federation were mobilized during March and April of the same year to provide over 140 million won (US $95,300) in donations to various provincial party chapters. Furthermore, the special counsel contends that in July 2022, Yoon and others attempted to send luxury items – including a high-end Chanel bag and an expensive Graff necklace – to the First Lady through a figure known publicly as “Geonjin Beopsa”, or Jeon Seong-bae (전성배), a spiritual adviser with connections to political elites.

The Chosun Biz writes that Mother Han’s legal team rejected every allegation during the opening session of the trial. They argued that the transactions and gift-giving described by prosecutors were not orchestrated by Hak Ja Han but were instead the unilateral actions of Yoon Yeong-ho (윤영호), whom they characterized as someone driven by personal ambition rather than institutional loyalty. According to the defense, Yoon acted independently, failed to report his activities to senior Family Federation leadership, and continued to engage in questionable political dealings even after leaving the organization. Mother Han’s counsel insisted that she had no involvement in or knowledge of the alleged donation schemes or gift arrangements.

The special counsel, however, offered a sharply contrasting view. Park Ju-min (박주민) writes for Reuters that one of the prosecutors portrays Mother Han much like anti-religious activists do, as the “absolute power holder of the Unification Church at the top”, claiming that not a single penny “can be moved without her approval.”

Prosecutors maintained that the defendants had misused their positions to divert contributions from members of the religious organization into politically motivated expenditures. It was argued that using believers’ money for such purposes constitutes a grave breach of trust and corrodes representative democracy by allowing private religious authority to attempt to shape public power through unofficial channels. Representative democracy assumes that each citizen has roughly equal political influence, and elected officials should respond to voters, not powerful institutions.

As the trial began, Mother Han appeared in court wearing a mask and arriving in a wheelchair, weeks after a brief medical release early in November for eye surgery. Her legal team requested periodic recesses due to her health condition. Despite the courtroom’s strict seating limits – 33 places – more than a hundred Family Federation members and supporters gathered outside, prompting the court to livestream the proceedings in an overflow room.

The case continues to attract intense scrutiny as it touches on sensitive questions about political ethics, the relationship between religion and governance, and the responsibilities of leaders who oversee large and financially powerful religious institutions. The trial’s outcome may influence how such interactions are regulated and interpreted in South Korea from now on.

According to France24, there will be a separate trial on 9^th December where Mother Han will face charges of violating the Political Parties Act. Prosecutors claim that she had told over 2,000 members of the Family Federation to join for former President Yoon’s People Power Party in time to influence the outcome of an important party convention.

Rev. Demian Dunkley, President of the Family Federation in North America, reported on X from the courthouse that the lawyers “were basically just setting up the rules of the game for the whole trial” to begin with. The feeling in the courtroom was professional and calm. Dunkley reported that a prosecutor read out the indictments, using a PowerPoint presentation on a large screen.

Several religious leaders from the USA concerned about the religious freedom issue of the trial and prolonged detention attended the opening day at Seoul Central District Court.

See also Continuation of Trial: Who Was Really in Charge?

See also Bail Hearing with Mother Han’s Spiritual Message

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

See also: Likely Long Legal Battle Ahead for Mother Han

See also Asia Today Editorial: “Avoid Detention of Clergy!”

See also Complaint Filed Against Lead Special Prosecutor

See also Echoes of Communist Abuse in South Korea, 2025

See also President’s Own Party Drawn into Lobbying Claims

See also SKorea: Bribery Probe into Opposition Backfires

See also S. Korea: Federation Pledges Reform After Apology

Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: A group of Family Federation members and observers from the USA outside Seoul Central District Court 1st December 2025. Photo: FFWPU

See also SKorea’s Polarization Shapes Views of Mother Han

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