On August 31, the Seoul Central District Court, under Judge Woo In-seong, will deliver the first-instance verdict against Dr. Hak Ja Han, 83. Widely known among world leaders as Holy Mother Han and the Mother of Peace, she faces trial alongside two former top aides.
Throughout the proceedings, Dr. Han has maintained a consistent posture of denying the allegations while emphasizing that her life has been devoted to peace and the realization of Heavenly Parent’s ideal, not to political power.
The case has unfolded amid a series of intensive investigations and searches that followed the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, raising deep concerns among many about fairness and religious freedom.
According to the Korean legal press, the prosecution’s case relies heavily on the statements of Yoon Young-ho, the former world headquarters director. At the July 10 closing hearing, the defense argued that those statements are inconsistent with objective records, including document creation dates, entry logs, and diaries.
Defense Points on the Record
The defense focused on concrete contradictions between Yoon Young-ho’s statements and the documentary evidence:
Additional Defense Arguments
The defense further stated that of approximately 3,400 items of evidence submitted, close to half were collected unlawfully and should be inadmissible. It also argued that the special counsel exceeded its mandate by investigating matters that amounted to Yoon’s personal offenses.
On July 9, the Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of an evidence-destruction charge against Yoon on the grounds that it fell outside the statutory scope of the relevant special counsel investigation.
Final Statements
In his final statement, Yoon disputed the prosecution’s framing, saying he could not accept a courtroom account in which he dealt with Dr. Han one-on-one while the aide closest to her functioned merely as a secretary.
In her final statement on July 10, Dr. Han said, “I did not covet power with money,” and deeply apologized for the controversy caused as a religious leader. Throughout the proceedings, including earlier statements in court, she consistently spoke of having devoted her life to the dream of attending the Creator, Heavenly Parent (God), on earth.
The defense position throughout has been that the actions in question were a personal deviation by a subordinate carried out without her approval.
Health and Detention Status
Dr. Han, 83, has faced repeated health difficulties during the proceedings, including a shoulder fracture requiring surgery and progressive vision problems related to late-stage glaucoma. The court has suspended her detention multiple times to allow medical treatment. The current suspension runs through early September.
Her defense has also argued that, given her advanced age, she should be able to exercise her right to defend herself while remaining free from detention.
The Central Question
A court must determine whether the testimony of a single witness, whose statements the defense says conflict with document dates, entry logs, and diary entries, meets the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
In South Korea, where judicial independence has become a subject of controversy amid ongoing political disputes, whether the court will deliver a fair and impartial verdict based solely on the law and evidence, free from political pressure or public opinion, is being closely watched by the international community.
International Attention
The prosecutions of Dr. Han and Rev. Son Hyun-bo, the Busan pastor who earlier received a suspended sentence based on remarks about politicians made during worship services, were both referenced at this year’s International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington.
Speakers there described the legal campaigns against the Family Federation in Japan and South Korea, as well as cases involving other religious leaders, as troubling setbacks for religious freedom.