Han Hak-ja, leader of the Unification Church, leaves a building in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, where the office of special prosecutor Moon Joong-ki is located, on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
Han Hak-ja, leader of the Unification Church, leaves a building in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, where the office of special prosecutor Moon Joong-ki is located, on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

Key week ahead for special counsels as court holds Unification Church leader warrant hearing

A decisive week lies ahead for two special counsel teams investigating the former presidential couple, as they seek to summon former President Yoon Suk Yeol over an alleged illegal drone operation to North Korea, a possible treason charge, and move to detain Han Hak-ja, the leader of the Unification Church.

A special counsel team — led by Cho Eun-suk — investigating whether Yoon’s botched martial law declaration would constitute both treason and insurrection, summoned Yoon to appear for questioning over allegations that he ordered the sending of drones to Pyongyang last year.

Wednesday’s summons will be Yoon’s first questioning on allegations of treason, a set of crimes covering collusion with a foreign country to threaten South Korea's security, according to the Criminal Act.

Yoon is suspected of having ordered Maj. Gen. Kim Yong-dae, head of the military’s Drone Operations Command, to carry out a drone operation over Pyongyang in October 2024, without complying with the official chain of command, including the Ministry of National Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Investigators suspect that the former president may have issued the instruction to provoke North Korea and create a pretext for declaring martial law in December.

The team previously summoned key high-ranking military officials, including Maj. Gen. Kim, the chief of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Lt. Gen. Lee Seung-oh, and JCS chair Adm. Kim Myung-soo, over the drone flight allegations. However, investigators' decision to summon Yoon over suspicions he issued the order suggests they believe they have more evidence to back up the charge.

It is unclear whether Yoon will comply with the summons, as he has refused to appear at ongoing court proceedings on insurrection charges and at questioning by the special counsel since his detention on July 10.

As part of the insurrection probe, Shim Woo-jung, the former chief of the prosecution, was summoned Sunday on accusations of abuse of power and abandonment of duties.

The investigators were trying to determine whether then-Justice Minister Park Sung-jae ordered him to send prosecutors to a joint investigation headquarters after Yoon’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration.

The special counsel team is also examining why a prosecutor was dispatched to the National Election Commission on the day Yoon declared martial law, and why Shim did not challenge a court decision in March that allowed Yoon to remain free while on trial for insurrection.

The decision enabled Yoon to avoid detention while being investigated and later tried for treason until his July arrest under a warrant sought by the special counsel. The ruling party and civic groups have filed a complaint against Shim, accusing him of abusing his authority and neglecting his duties for failing to immediately appeal.

Meanwhile, special counsel Min Joong-ki and his team investigating multiple allegations involving the former first lady are scheduled to appear for a hearing at a Seoul court on Monday to argue for a warrant for the detention of Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja.

The special counsel team previously requested that the Seoul Central District Court issue a warrant to detain Han on allegations she directed church funds to Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, the former People Power Party floor leader, in exchange for political support from the Yoon administration.

The team is considering charges of subornation of destroying evidence, occupational embezzlement, and violating the Political Funds Act and the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

Han is accused of offering 100 million won ($71,600) in illegal political funds to Kweon and directing a former high-ranking church official to deliver a luxury necklace and two Chanel handbags to the former first lady as a gift.

The Unification Church leader denied all major allegations related to her.

Regardless of whether Han is taken into custody, the special counsel team is scheduled to question Kwon on Tuesday. The former party chief was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of tampering with evidence related to charges of accepting illicit political funds.


sj_lee@heraldcorp.com