South Korea minister resigns over alleged bribes from church

A minister in South Korea, Chun Jae-soo, resigned on Thursday, December 11, 2025, after being accused of receiving illegal funds from the Unification Church.

The church, known for its mass weddings, is currently being investigated on charges of unlawful donations linked to the country’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee.

Kim’s conservative husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, was ousted in April and is now in prison following a disastrous but brief imposition of martial law, with voters electing President Lee Jae Myung in a snap election in June.

But local media reports increasingly suggest lawmakers from both President Lee’s left-leaning ruling party and the conservative opposition may have accepted bribes from the church.

Oceans minister Chun was accused of having received 30 million won ($20,500) in cash as well as two luxury watches from the church between 2018 to 2020.

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The accusations were reportedly levelled by the former head of the church’s global headquarters Yun Young-ho during questioning by investigators this year.

“As a public official, resigning from the ministerial post is the right behavior,” Chun told reporters on Thursday.

He denied wrongdoing but said he would step down to allow the government’s work to continue “without faltering”.

President Lee has accepted the resignation, his office said.

The Star