Dec 1, 2025 – The Seoul Central District Court holds the first hearing of Unification Church leader Han Hak‑ja’s bribery trial, accusing her of giving a luxury necklace and Chanel bags to former first lady Kim Keon‑Hee and transferring 100 million won to MP Kweon Seong‑dong; her lawyers argue the case relies solely on testimony from former church official Yun Young‑ho and deny her involvement [20][21].

Dec 10, 2025 – Special counsel Min Joong‑ki’s team petitions the court for a four‑year prison term for former global‑head Yun Young‑ho, citing his role in delivering luxury gifts to Kim Keon‑Hee and alleged illegal political donations; the verdict is scheduled for Jan 28, 2026 [18].

Dec 14, 2025 – Police raid Han Hak‑ja’s Gapyeong residence and nine additional sites, including the church’s Seoul headquarters and the offices of former Oceans Minister Chun Jae‑soo and special‑counsel Min Joong‑ki, seizing accounting records and searching for evidence of cross‑party bribes [17].

Dec 14, 2025 – Investigators publicly name Han Hak‑ja as a suspect in a bribery scheme that allegedly involved luxury watches for Chun Jae‑soo and cash for lawmakers, expanding the probe beyond her existing trial over gifts to Kim Keon‑Hee [16].

Dec 15, 2025 – Police confirm Han Hak‑ja’s suspect status under the Political Funds Act, detailing alleged payments of 20 million won in cash and a 10 million‑won Bulgari watch to Chun Jae‑soo and roughly 30 million won each to former lawmakers Lim Jong‑seong and Kim Gyu‑hwan [15].

Dec 16, 2025 – A special investigation team schedules a detention‑center interview with Han Hak‑ja to determine whether she ordered the alleged bribes, while prosecutors highlight 28 billion won found in her safe during earlier raids [14].

Dec 17, 2025 – Police question Han Hak‑ja at the Seoul Detention Center about cash bundles worth 28 billion won and luxury‑gift allegations involving multiple politicians; simultaneous questioning of former chief of staff Jeong Won‑ju as a witness probes her role in the church’s financial operations [13][12].

Dec 17, 2025 – Authorities summon former Oceans Minister Chun Jae‑soo for questioning over alleged 20 million won cash and Bulgari‑watch bribes, while also raiding his Busan residence, Sejong office, and Han’s Gapyeong home; a second raid targets Han’s Cheonjeonggung residence [11].

Dec 18, 2025 – Ex‑chief of staff Jeong Won‑ju appears at the National Police Agency for witness questioning on the alleged cash and watch transfers to Chun Jae‑soo and other lawmakers, and police continue probing a 500‑book purchase order linked to Chun Jae‑soo [12].

Dec 19, 2025 – Former Oceans Minister Chun Jae‑soo arrives at Seodaemun‑Ward police station as a suspect, denying any illegal receipt of cash or a Bulgari watch and asserting he opposed the undersea tunnel project tied to the alleged bribes [10].

Dec 24, 2025 – Police raid Bulgari Korea’s Seoul office to trace the 2018 watch allegedly given to Chun Jae‑soo, while a separate detention‑center visit questions Han Hak‑ja and Yun Young‑ho again on the same bribery network; investigators also seize additional records from the church headquarters [8][9].

Dec 28, 2025 – Jeong Won‑ju returns to the National Police Agency for a second round of questioning, with investigators focusing on whether the church sought political favors for its proposed underwater tunnel linking South Korea and Japan [7].

Dec 30, 2025 – Police hand Han Hak‑ja and three senior church officials (including Yun Young‑ho and Jeong Won‑ju) to prosecutors, marking the transition from investigation to formal prosecution over alleged 2019 illegal political donations [5]; a parallel transfer moves Jeong Won‑ju, Song Gwang‑seok, and other aides to the prosecution [6].

Dec 31, 2025 – A special investigation team raids the home of Jeong Won‑ju in Gapyeong, seizing evidence related to a suspected 20 million‑won cash and Bulgari‑watch bribe to former Oceans Minister Chun Jae‑soo and further solidifying the case against church‑linked donors [4].

Jan 15, 2026 – The joint police‑prosecution probe widens as investigators question Yun Young‑ho at Seoul Detention Center, following a raid on the Unification Church headquarters that yields servers and phones for analysis; officials linked to lawmakers Chun Jae‑soo, Lim Jong‑seong, and Kim Gyu‑hwan face further summons [3].

Jan 28, 2026 – The Seoul Central District Court sentences former Unification Church global‑head Yun Young‑ho to 14 months in prison for embezzlement and political‑fund violations, a term shorter than prosecutors’ four‑year request [2].

Feb 11, 2026 – The Seoul Central District Court suspends Han Hak‑ja’s detention, granting a temporary release through Saturday on health grounds after she receives treatment for a recent fall [1].

Feb 22, 2026 – The court denies Han Hak‑ja’s request to extend her temporary release and returns her to detention, ending the brief health‑related freedom granted earlier in the month [1].