The prosecution has summoned Jeon Seong-bae, known as 'Geonjinbeomsa.' Jeon is suspected of receiving gifts, such as a necklace for Kim Keon-hee, from the Unification Church.

John Seong-bae Jeon, who faces charges of illegal political fund solicitation, attends a substantive examination of the warrant held at the Seoul Southern District Court in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, on Dec. 19, 2024. /Courtesy of News1

According to legal sources on the 3rd, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor's Office's Joint Investigation Team on Virtual Asset Crimes, led by Director General Park Geon-wook, summoned Jeon as a suspect that day to investigate allegations of violating the Act on the Prohibition of Acceptance of Illegal Political Donations. This is the first time Jeon has been summoned since the prosecution searched the home of former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his spouse in Seocho-dong, Seoul, on the 30th of last month.

The prosecution is reportedly questioning whether Jeon received luxury necklaces worth around 60 million won from the Unification Church and whether he actually delivered these to Kim Keon-hee's side, along with discussions about the contents requested by the Unification Church.

Earlier, it was identified that the warrant for searching former President Yoon's home cited that Jeon and Yoon were alleged to have provided gifts to the spouses of public officials in relation to their official duties around April to August 2022.

In addition, the prosecution is investigating whether Jeon received gifts from Yoon related to the Unification Church's support for the development project on the Mekong River in Cambodia, the acquisition of YTN, the establishment of the United Nations Office in Korea, and invitations to the presidential inauguration ceremony. Following Jeon's summon, the prosecution is expected to determine the manner and timing of Kim Keon-hee's investigation based on the testimonial content.