Korean Lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong Refuses to Attend Special Prosecutor's Inquiry

The second special prosecutor team, led by Kwon Chang-young, has summoned Kwon Seong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, regarding allegations of covering up investigations into the Unification Church. However, Kwon has refused to attend the inquiry.

According to legal sources on June 24, the special prosecutor's office sent a notice for Kwon to appear for questioning on July 1. However, Kwon has indicated he will not attend. The special prosecutor's office stated, "We plan to coordinate the attendance schedule with his attorney later."

The allegations of covering up the Unification Church investigation center on claims that police were aware of overseas gambling activities involving church leaders, including its president, Han Hak-ja, but failed to investigate, instead leaking information to political circles to suppress the case.

In the past, the Chuncheon police received reports from insiders of the Unification Church between May and July 2022, indicating that President Han frequently engaged in overseas gambling with cash from church members. Despite creating intelligence reports based on these tips, the investigation was hindered by Kwon's involvement, leading to suspicions of a cover-up.

Last year, the Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor team began a thorough investigation, conducting searches at the National Police Agency and other locations in July. They concluded that Kwon, a close associate of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, received police intelligence and passed it on to the Unification Church, resulting in charges against Kwon and President Han. However, the investigation into the internal leak and higher-ups' involvement remains unresolved.