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Reported by: Elizabeth Schumacher with AFP, Reuters | Edited by: Rana Taha

Han Hak Ja, leader of the powerful and secretive Unification Church in South Korea, was handed a two-year prison sentence on Monday by a Seoul court on bribery charges.

Han is the widow of influential church founder Sun Myung Moon.

She was accused of giving South Korea's former First Lady Kim Keon Hee several expensive gifts in exchange for securing political favors. Kim has also been convicted of graft charges.

The 83-year-old has denied that she passed items, such as a designer handbag, to Kim via an intermediary. Han's lawyers have already announced that they will launch an appeal.

Kim's husband, former President Yoon Suk Yeol, is also currently jailed following an ill-fated bid to declare martial law in South Korea. Before his removal from office in 2025, his tenure had been noted for democratic backsliding and repression of the media.

Kim herself received a 20-month prison term in January for receiving gifts from the Unification Church, which sought political favors. An appeals court in April increased the sentence to four years in prison, after convicting her of additional charges.

What is the Unification Church?

Formally titled the "Family Federation for World Peace and Unification", the church began in the 1950s under the leadership of Han and her late husband, who at times claimed to be the second coming of Jesus.

The church has become known for its mass weddings, secrecy, and accusations of cult-like behavior and influence peddling.

Its reach has extended outside of Korea, most notably in Japan — where former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in 2022 by a man who was motivated by Abe's deep family ties to the church.

(Disclaimer: This report first appeared on Deutsche Welle, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.)