hankyoreh

Kweon Seong-dong, a People Power Party lawmaker, against a backdrop of a PPP membership application. (Yonhap; courtesy of a reader)

Following evidence that a high-ranking member of the Unification Church met with Jeon Seong-bae (a shaman who goes by the name “Geonjin”) to discuss enrolling church members in the People Power Party (PPP) before the party convention in 2023, a source says the church also distributed membership application forms to members. That’s even stronger evidence that backing the Yoon faction at the PPP convention was not the idea of a single person, but a plan conceived by the Unification Church as a whole.

An individual knowledgeable about affairs inside the Unification Church (identified here as “K”) told the Hankyoreh on Tuesday that “the Universal Peace Federation sent envelopes containing PPP membership application forms to several members of the church in December 2022.”

“K,” a member of the Unification Church, learned during a meeting of senior church officials at Lotte Hotel World in Jamsil on March 2, 2022, that Han Hak-ja, the church’s acting leader, and an individual surnamed Yun, the former head of the church’s global operations, had basically determined to back Yoon Suk-yeol, the PPP’s presidential candidate in the election that took place on March 10 of that year. 

The Universal Peace Federation (UPF), which “K” identifies as the source of the PPP membership application forms, is an organization that Han Hak-ja established inside the Unification Church. Most of its key positions are held by senior members of the church. The UPF also hosted the 2022 World Summit toward Peace on the Korean Peninsula, which was attended by former US Vice President Mike Pence.

“K” provided the Hankyoreh with a photograph of the PPP membership application form that was allegedly contained in the UPF envelopes. The form is different from the one currently available for download from the PPP website. The presence of a checkbox stating “I wish to register outside of my area” suggests this is the 2022 form.

Several church members also apparently received invitations to a launch ceremony for the PPP’s national alliance of voting members held at the National Assembly on Dec. 17, 2022.

A text exchange that was shared with the Hankyoreh also indicates that the church made a concerted push to enroll members in the PPP.

A senior member of the Unification Church (“N”) sent the following message to a non-church member (“D”) around 9 pm on Dec. 14, 2022: “The UPF is secretly sending out PPP membership application forms. This is an organized push that’s taking place around the country.”

“D” responded as follows: “This appears to be connected with the PPP’s leadership election next March. A candidate for party leadership appears to have reached an agreement with somebody.”

“It’s possible he met with Kweon Seong-dong — Yun, I mean,” “N” said, referring to Yoon, the church’s former head of global operations.

Kweon Seong-dong, a People Power Party lawmaker. (Kim Gyoung-ho/Hankyoreh)

An investigation by the public prosecutors found that Yun had asked the shaman Jeon Seong-bae over text who Yoon Suk-yeol wanted to lead the PPP and how much support was needed at the convention. Jeon texted back that Yoon Suk-yeol still supported Kweon Seong-dong.

The texts between “N” and “D” show that the plan for supporting Kweon at the PPP convention had been shared with other leaders of the Unification Church.

In the same conversation, “D” also expressed concern that the Unification Church was providing cover for the PPP to “amend the party’s constitution to help Yoon Suk-yeol’s faction gain control of the party despite having a weaker national brand.”

The Unification Church’s plan to provide backing during the convention was canceled after Kweon announced on Jan. 5, 2023, that he would not seek the PPP’s leadership. But Yun maintained a close relationship with Kweon even afterward. He donated 5 million won to Kweon’s reelection fund in March 2024, and Kweon delivered a congratulatory address at an event he organized.

Investigators under Cho Eun-seok, the special counsel in the insurrection probe, summoned Yoon on Tuesday to answer questions about a range of allegations about the Unification Church’s political lobbying activities.

The special counsel team has expanded its investigation into lobbying by the church after a raid on its main office turned up a receipt for a diamond necklace worth 60 million won that Yun gave Jeon “as a present for first lady Kim Keon-hee.”

The full PPP membership application said to have been distributed to members of the Unification Church around December of 2022. (courtesy of a reader)

By Kim Ga-yoon, staff reporter; Bae Ji-hyun, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]