 |
| ▲ Kim Tae-hoon, chief of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office, attends a parliamentary session at the National Assembly in Seoul in this Oct. 23, 2025, file photo. (Yonhap) |
probe team-Unification Church
Prosecution, police to form joint investigation team to handle Unification Church allegations
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- The prosecution and the police have agreed to form a joint investigation team to handle various allegations of bribery between the Unification Church and politicians, legal sources said Tuesday.
The launch of the new team comes after the legally mandated investigation period of special counsel Min Joong-ki's team ended last month before it was able to fully determine the details of alleged bribery between the church and multiple lawmakers of both the ruling and main opposition parties.
Kim Tae-hoon, chief of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office, has been tapped to lead the joint team, the sources said.
President Lee Jae Myung earlier directed the formation of a special or joint investigation headquarters to handle the scandal, saying it was necessary to determine the truth and demand accountability in order to prevent a repeat of similar crimes.
The bribery allegations surfaced during Min's investigation into former first lady Kim Keon Hee's suspected corruption, resulting in the indictment of Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition People Power Party and an investigation into Rep. Chun Jae-soo of the ruling Democratic Party, among other high-profile names.
Talk of appointing a special counsel to investigate the matter has stalled amid disagreements between the rival parties.
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
