[Reporter Kim Hyunji metaxy@sisajournal.com]
**Special Prosecutor Min Joong-gi’s Team Summons Kwon Seong-dong, a ‘Pro-Yoon’ Figure, on the Same Day as Kim Geon-hee’s Summons**
Yoon Young-ho, Head of the Worldwide Headquarters of the Unification Church, Suspected of Supporting Kwon Seong-dong During the 20th Presidential Election and Party Convention
Kwon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, attends a general assembly at the National Assembly on July 4. © Yonhap News
The special prosecutor team led by Min Joong-gi announced on the morning of the 26th that it will summon Kwon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, for questioning over allegations of receiving political funds from Yoon Young-ho, head of the worldwide headquarters of the Unification Church. This is the first time a sitting lawmaker has been summoned by the special prosecutor team in connection with the church-related incident. Kwon’s scheduled investigation on the 27th coincides with the fifth questioning of Kim Geon-hee following her arrest.
Kwon, described as part of the “Pro-Yoon (Pro-Yoon Suk-yeol) faction,” is suspected of receiving political funds from Yoon during the 20th presidential election. Additionally, during the People’s Power Party convention in 2023, Yoon, alongside the shaman “Geonjin Bopsa” Jeon Seong-bae, is suspected of facilitating church members’ membership in the party to support Kwon. The church has previously distanced itself by stating, “Yoon’s actions were personal decisions.”
Regarding this, Kwon announced on his Facebook page on the morning of the 26th, “I will attend the special prosecutor’s inquiry on August 27,” asserting his innocence and confidence against all claims made by the special prosecution. He also accused the special prosecution of colluding with certain media for political maneuvering due to their lack of confidence. Kwon previously issued a statement denying all allegations.
The special prosecutor team has also been intensively questioning several key figures of the church, including Jeong, a former secretary-general of Han Hak-ja, around the time of Kim Geon-hee’s arrest warrant issuance (August 12). On the 25th, they summoned the church’s accounting and financial officers and subsequently notified Kwon of his required attendance.
Meanwhile, Kim Geon-hee is also scheduled for recall on the same day. Although questioned on the 25th, Kim reportedly refused to testify on most matters related to the church. It has been reported that Jeon, summoned on the same day, also denied his charges. Jeon allegedly handed over luxury items such as a Chanel bag and Graff necklace, received from Yoon in 2022, to Kim Geon-hee. There are also findings suggesting that Jeon sought Yoon’s assistance to suppress the church-related investigation.
Kim Geon-hee was first openly summoned on the 6th and has since been questioned four times on the 14th, 18th, 21st, and 25th following her arrest. She is facing several allegations under the special prosecutor law passed in the National Assembly, including the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case, nomination manipulation involving “political broker” Myung Tae-gyun, the bribery case involving Jeon and Unification Church’s Yoon, and the preferential treatment regarding the endpoint change of Yangpyeong Expressway. Investigations have prioritized the stock manipulation, nomination manipulation, and bribery cases where progress has been made.
On the 7th, the special prosecutor team applied for an arrest warrant for Kim on charges related to violations of the Capital Market Act, Political Fund Act, and Aggravated Punishment Act for Specific Crimes. Her detention term, extended once, is set to expire on the 31st. The team is seriously considering taking Kim to trial around the 29th.