The prosecution on Wednesday asked for a four-year prison term for Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the People Power Party, over charges he received 100 million won ($67,600) in illicit political funds from the Unification Church
Special Counsel Min Joong-ki's team accused Kweon, a former leader of the main opposition party, of violating the Political Funds Act by accepting the money in exchange for favors for the Unification Church.
In the hearing at Seoul Central District Court, it also requested seizure of 100 million won in criminal proceeds,
"As a seasoned lawmaker, the defendant has the obligation to protect the rights of the people and the Constitutional values, yet he betrayed the people's trust and infringed upon the Constitutional values by colluding with a specific religious group and receiving 100 million won from them," Assistant Special Counsel Park Sang-jin told the court.
Park said Kweon's actions allowed the church to exercise political influence, adding that his lack of remorse and attempted destruction of evidence necessitated a heavy punishment.
Kweon's side denied the charges and said the lawmaker has no trusting relationship with Yoon Young-ho, who allegedly gave him the funds, and was the head of the Unification Church's global headquarters at the time.
"The prosecution found a diary suggesting that (Yoon) gave money (to Kweon) and has been focused on arresting the defendant based on Yoon's testimony. (The prosecution) trusted Yoon's testimonies without even considering the possibility that they might be false," Kweon's lawyer said.
Kweon is accused of accepting the illicit funds in January 2022, in exchange for supporting policy issues the church had an interest in, including an undersea tunnel to Japan, expanded aid to Africa and Asia, a DMZ peace park, and exporting the Saemaeul movement to Africa.
The Unification Church is also under suspicion of illegal political donations to both main parties, bribery and destruction of evidence, led by its leader Han Hak-ja. Han is currently standing trial on related charges.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
