South Korea's Lee calls for probe into links between religious group and politics

By Joyce Lee and Heejin Kim

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called for an investigation into the suspected illegal links between a religious group and politicians, Lee's office said on Wednesday.

Lee's order should apply "no matter whether (a politician is from the) ruling or opposition party, a high or low position", the presidential office said in a statement.

The statement did not specify the religious group.

During a livestreamed cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Lee said he had ordered his ministers to consider ways to "disband religious groups that meddle in politics and do strange things with illegal funds," and asked about how South Korea's process to disband a religious group differed from Japan's system.

Lee's spokesperson on Tuesday also said the president had not singled out a particular religious group.

Some analysts have said, however, that Lee's comments appeared to be directed at the Unification Church, whose leader Han Hak-ja is currently on trial over allegations she bribed former first lady Kim Keon Hee in return for political favours.

The case is part of a series of investigations by special prosecutors into ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol and Kim, his wife, in the wake of Yoon's martial law order in December 2024.

Han has denied any wrongdoing.

A former Unification Church official told a special prosecutor that lawmakers in Lee's ruling party also received funds from the Unification Church, South Korean media has reported.

Police have been asked to investigate any contacts between ruling party members and the Unification Church, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The church on Wednesday denied any wrongdoing. "Our religious group has never colluded with political powers in an organized manner, nor have we ever attempted to gain benefits by supporting any particular political party," the Unification Church said in a statement.

In Japan, a Tokyo district court ordered the dissolution of the Unification Church in March after a government investigation of its fundraising practices. The case has since gone to appeal.