Ex-Unification Church Official Claims Cash, Luxury Watches Given to Minister; Minister Denies

Jeon Jae-soo, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, immediately denied allegations after reports emerged that a former Unification Church official testified to giving him tens of millions of won in cash and expensive watches between 2018 and 2020.

According to legal circles on the 10th, Yoon Young-ho, former head of the Unification Church's world headquarters, reportedly testified during an investigation by the special counsel team probing first lady Kim Keon-hee (led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki) in August that "former lawmaker Jeon visited Cheonjeong Palace, met Chairwoman Han Hak-ja to pay respects, and I handed over approximately 40 million won in cash" and "delivered two boxes of watches together."

Yoon specified the timing of the gifts as 2018 to 2019 and reportedly mentioned "Cartier" and "Bulgari" as the watch brands. The special counsel team is understood to have examined the possibility that Minister Jeon received valuables from the Unification Church and whether there was any quid pro quo based on this testimony.

Minister Jeon, classified as a core member of the pro-Moon Jae-in faction, currently serves as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries in the current administration. Through his Facebook page the previous day, Minister Jeon stated, "The allegations of receiving valuables raised against me are entirely false, and not a single one is true," adding, "I have never received any valuables from anyone, including the Unification Church, whether in my legislative activities or personal life."

He continued, "Fabricating and spreading baseless testimony as if it were fact is clearly false manipulation."

Yoon is the individual who was arrested and indicted on charges of attempting to lobby by giving luxury bags and necklaces to first lady Kim and "Geonjin Beopsa" Jeon Seong-bae in April and July 2022, and providing 100 million won in illegal political funds to People Power Party lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong in January of the same year.

Yoon also mentioned circumstances of the Unification Church's wide-ranging contacts with political circles in recent court proceedings. Particularly during the trial on the 5th, Yoon claimed during cross-examination by his defense counsel that "ahead of the 2022 presidential election, we approached not only the People Power Party but also the Democratic Party."

Yoon stated, "From 2017 to 2021, we were closer to the Democratic Party than the People Power Party," adding, "During that period, I contacted about four minister-level figures in the Moon Jae-in administration, and two of them also met Chairwoman Han Hak-ja. I disclosed everything about support issues during the investigation." Yoon also revealed that he testified to the special counsel about a list of National Assembly members.

Meanwhile, the special counsel team assigned an internal investigation case number last month after obtaining Yoon's testimony, but concluded that it cannot conduct a direct investigation as the personal, material, and temporal requirements are not met under the purpose of the special counsel law that defines allegations related to first lady Kim. The special counsel team transferred the relevant records to the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency yesterday afternoon.