Yoon’s Changing Accounts Challenged by Defense

Changing accounts, conflicting dates: Hak Ja Han’s defense challenges prosecution’s main witness Yoon over luxury gifts testimony

Part 2 of a 4-part series on the Hak Ja Han trial

See part 1: How Reliable Is the Prosecution’s Key Witness?

See part 3: Defense Mounts Broad Challenge to State’s Case

See part 4: Yoon’s Independence Put at Center of Case

As the 31^st August verdict in the trial of Family Federation President Hak Ja Han (한학자) approaches, her defense team is challenging not only the chronology of the alleged 100 million won (in 2022 ca. US$ 77,000) political contribution discussed in part 1 of this series, but also former World Headquarters Director Yoon Yeong-ho‘s accounts of luxury gifts allegedly given to former First Lady Kim Keon-hee (김건희).

See also No Proof Mother Han Linked to Political Funding

See also New Case: Claims of Political Mobilization

See also 2026 Mass Enrollment Case: Evidence Under Fire

See also S Korea’s Special Prosecutors: A Political Tool?

A central question is whether Yoon‘s testimony consistently supports the prosecution’s allegation that Hak Ja Han – also called Mother Han – personally authorized the gifts. In its 6^th August statement responding to an 5^th August Munhwa Ilbo (문화일보) report, the Family Federation argues that Yoon‘s accounts changed repeatedly during the investigation and that documentary evidence raises serious questions about the chronology of at least one of the gifts.

The issues concern a Chanel handbag, a Graff necklace, and a separate episode involving a visit to then-President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol (윤석열).

Why the gifts matter

According to Munhwa Ilbo‘s 5^th August report, the Special Prosecutor’s Office alleges that Yoon Yeong-ho (윤영호) gave expensive luxury items to former First Lady Kim Keon-hee (김건희) while seeking assistance with matters affecting the Family Federation.

The prosecution’s case is significant for Mother Han because it seeks to establish that these activities were not simply Yoon‘s personal initiatives but were carried out with the knowledge or instructions of the Family Federation‘s president.

Hak Ja Han‘s defense disputes that interpretation. The lawyers argue that Yoon‘s own accounts changed during the investigation and that other evidence suggests he sometimes acted independently.

Three versions of the Chanel handbag story

The defense’s most detailed criticism concerns a Chanel handbag allegedly given to Kim Keon-hee. As reported by Munhwa Ilbo, the defense says Yoon gave three different accounts at different stages of the investigation.

During his first investigation by the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, Yoon allegedly said that Mother Han selected the handbag first.

During a subsequent investigation, Yoon’s account reportedly changed. He said that he and intermediary Jeon Seong-bae (전성배) had first decided on the handbag and then suggested it to Mother Han.

During questioning by the Special Prosecutor’s Office, according to the defense, Yoon gave yet another version, saying that he had reported the specific model of handbag to Mother Han.

The defense argues that these changes are important because they concern the fundamental question of who initiated the gift.

The Family Federation statement expands on this point by citing text messages that it says show Yoon telling Jeon Seong-bae (전성배) that he would send a gift before he learned that Kim Keon-hee (김건희) was planning an overseas trip.

The Federation therefore interprets the messages as evidence that Yoon had already decided to provide a gift and only learned about the First Lady’s travel plans later.

That interpretation is disputed by the prosecution, and the court will have to determine what significance, if any, the messages have.

The Graff necklace and an apparent chronology problem

The defense considers the chronology surrounding a Graff necklace even more problematic.

According to the South Korean daily Munhwa Ilbo, Yoon testified that he purchased the necklace in July 2022 on Mother Han‘s instructions.

The Family Federation statement supplies a more detailed chronology. It says that Yoon explained the purchase as having been prompted by media reports concerning Kim Keon-hee (김건희) wearing a borrowed necklace during an overseas trip.

The problem identified by the defense is the date of those reports.

According to the Federation, the relevant news story first appeared on 30^th August 2022, while the purchase receipt for the necklace is dated 29^th July 2022.

In other words, the defense says the necklace was purchased approximately one month before the media report that Yoon allegedly said prompted the purchase.

The Federation describes this as a case of “reversed causality”: the alleged cause appears in the chronology after the alleged effect.

Put more simply, the defense is asking how Yoon could have purchased the necklace in July because of a news report that did not appear until August.

This is one of the clearest examples in the Federation‘s statement of its broader strategy: rather than merely arguing that Yoon’s recollection is unreliable, the defense seeks to compare his testimony with independently dated documents and events.

The visit to President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol

The defense also points to another episode that it believes illustrates a pattern of Yoon acting independently.

According to Munhwa Ilbo, Yoon had claimed that he reported his planned visit to then-President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol (윤석열) to Mother Han in advance.

The defense, however, cited an earlier statement by Yoon Yeong-ho (윤영호) in which he allegedly said:

“I was unable to tell Mother that I was going to visit the President-elect, and when I informed her the following day, she was surprised.”

The Family Federation statement adds that Yoon made this admission publicly at a gathering of hundreds of leaders on 8^th April, two weeks after the visit.

The Federation also refers to other contextual evidence, including Yoon‘s activities on the evening of the visit, which it says indicate that he did not immediately report the meeting to Mother Han.

The defense uses the episode to challenge the prosecution’s broader portrayal of Yoon as someone who routinely acted as Mother Han‘s representative under her instructions.

A broader question about Yoon’s role

Taken together, the Chanel handbag, Graff necklace and presidential visit form an important part of the defense’s larger theory.

The Family Federation argues that Yoon had substantial independence in dealing with political and business figures. According to this interpretation, he sometimes made decisions himself and subsequently either reported them to Mother Han or failed to report them.

The prosecution, however, alleges that Yoon‘s activities were connected to Hak Ja Han, and that she directed or authorized at least some of them.

The difference is crucial. If Yoon acted independently, the defense argues, his actions cannot automatically be attributed to Mother Han simply because he held a senior position in the Family Federation.

What will the court make of the inconsistencies?

The defense’s challenge therefore has two dimensions.

First, it questions Yoon‘s consistency as a witness, particularly where his accounts allegedly changed between different stages of the investigation.

Second, it points to objective chronology: text messages, purchase receipts, media reports and earlier statements that the defense says conflict with his later testimony.

The Family Federation‘s 6^th August statement presents these discrepancies as evidence that Yoon‘s testimony should not be relied upon to establish Mother Han‘s responsibility for acts classified as criminal.

That conclusion remains a defense argument, however. The court will have to assess the original documents, testimony and other evidence before determining whether the alleged inconsistencies materially affect Yoon’s credibility.

See also No Proof Mother Han Linked to Political Funding

See also New Case: Claims of Political Mobilization

See also 2026 Mass Enrollment Case: Evidence Under Fire

See also S Korea’s Special Prosecutors: A Political Tool?

With the first-instance verdict scheduled for 31^st August, the question is becoming increasingly focused: did Yoon Yeong-ho act as Mother Han‘s representative, as the special prosecutors allege, or did he sometimes act on his own initiative and later attribute his actions to the Family Federation‘s president, as her defense contends?

The answer could have major implications for the court’s assessment of Mother Han‘s personal responsibility.

NB. This article summarizes arguments presented by Mother Han‘s defense team and the Family Federation, together with the account published by the South Korean daily Munhwa Ilbo. The defense’s allegations and interpretations should not be understood as established facts unless independently confirmed by the court or other reliable evidence.

Continued in part 3: Defense Mounts Broad Challenge to State’s Case

See part 1: How Reliable Is the Prosecution’s Key Witness?

See part 4: Yoon’s Independence Put at Center of Case

Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: Changing accounts of handbag and necklace. Illustration: ChatGPT, 10^th August 2026.

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