(LEAD) Unification Church foundation sought to sell 52.3 bln won in assets during probe: lawmaker

(ATTN: UPDATES with Unification Church's position in paras 7-9, remarks by culture minister in 10th para, minor edits in paras 1, 3)

SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- The Unification Church foundation tried to dispose of assets worth 52.3 billion won (US$39 million) while it was under investigation over corruption charges linked to former President Yoon Suk Yeol, but its attempts so far have been unsuccessful, a lawmaker said Wednesday.

The Foundation for the Support of HSA-UWC, run by the Unification Church, filed two applications with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in December and March to dispose of its land and buildings, but both were rejected, Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the ruling Democratic Party said, citing reports submitted by the ministry.

Under the law and the ministry's internal rules, nonprofit organizations, such as religious foundations, must obtain approval from the ministry before disposing of their core assets, including land and buildings.

This file photo, taken Aug. 31, 2026, shows Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja leaving the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul after being sentenced to two years in prison in a bribery trial. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

The foundation applied in December to dispose of assets worth about 52 billion won in Seoul. The ministry rejected the request, however, saying there was insufficient justification for selling high-value assets without a specific plan for their use at a time when the foundation and its affiliates were under investigation by a special counsel and police.

It submitted a second application in March to dispose of assets worth about 300 million won in Gapyeong, east of Seoul. That request was rejected on the same grounds.

The church's leadership is now standing trial on bribery, election meddling and embezzlement charges.

Following the reports, the Unification Church foundation said the property it sought to dispose of was a building that houses printing presses of the Segye Times, a daily published by the church.

It denied claims that the foundation had initiated the disposal attempt, saying the newspaper had proposed to purchase the building from the foundation to ensure the stable operation of its printing facilities. "We then applied to the ministry to sell the asset, planning to use the proceeds to support the foundation's missionary activities," it added.

Jin urged the ministry to amend its guidelines to block asset disposals by organizations under investigation, saying the current rules outline approval authority but lack specific grounds for rejection.

In response, Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young said his ministry will incorporate reasonable guidelines in its rules without compromising the organizations' autonomy.