South Korean prosecutors requested an arrest warrant on Thursday for the leader of the Unification Church, Han Hak-ja, on allegations of bribery linked to a former first lady and incitement to destroy evidence.
The move came a day after the 82-year-old was questioned over her alleged role in bribing former first lady Kim Keon Hee and a prominent lawmaker.
The Unification Church was founded in 1954 by Han’s late husband Moon Sun-myung and has long been the subject of controversy and criticism, with its teachings centred on Moon’s role as the Second Coming, its mass weddings and a cult-like culture.
Followers are derisively referred to as “Moonies”.
The church’s reach extends far beyond religion, spanning businesses from media and tourism to food distribution.
Han assumed leadership of the church after Moon’s death in 2012.
“We have requested an arrest warrant for Han earlier today,” prosecutor Park Sang-jin said.
“The charges against her include violation of political funds act, anti-graft law, incitement to destroy evidence and embezzlement,” he said.
“We considered the risk of Han tampering with evidence to be very high, which led us to seek the warrant.”
A court is expected to review the validity of the warrant request early next week.
Han is suspected of ordering the delivery of luxury gifts, including a designer handbag and diamond necklace, to Kim in 2022 to curry favour with her husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, who became president that year.
The former first lady has been arrested and indicted on charges of bribery and stock market manipulation. Her husband — also in custody — is standing trial over his declaration of martial law in December.
The couple fell from grace after Yoon’s martial law declaration briefly suspended civilian rule in December before it was overturned by opposition MPs hours later.
Yoon was impeached and removed from office in April over the attempt.
Han also faces allegations of bribing a prominent MP with 100 million won (US$72,000).
Her church said the warrant request was “unjust persecution of a global religious leader”.
“We firmly denounce the fact that, instead of humanitarian consideration and rational judgment, excessive and coercive measures have been taken against our leader,” it said in a statement.
The church, which claims to have 10 million followers worldwide, is best known for its mass weddings, where thousands of couples from across the globe are married in stadium-sized ceremonies, often officiated by church leaders including Han.
Critics say such events are emblematic of its cult-like influence.
A Seoul court issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday for the lawmaker, Kweon Seong-dong, citing the risk he could tamper with evidence.
Han, who was wheeled out of the prosecutors’ office after more than nine hours of questioning, denied wrongdoing.
“Why would I have done that?” she said when asked about the allegations.
Prosecutor Park also said Han had denied committing any crimes during questioning on Wednesday.
