CultNEWS101 Articles: 12/15/2025
Patrick Ryan
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"A former second-in-command at the Unification Church has testified in court that he gave luxury items to former first lady Kim Keon-hee with the expectation that her husband’s administration would provide favors to the church.
At his embezzlement trial on Friday, Yun Young-ho said he tried to deliver the gifts, including a Chanel bag and a Graff necklace, to Kim in 2022 under instructions from church leader Han Hak-ja.
Yun Young-ho said he contacted the main opposition People Power Party as well as the ruling Democratic Party ahead of the 2022 race that elected Yoon Suk Yeol as president.
Claiming the church had closer ties with the Democratic Party between 2017 and 2021, the former church official said he reached out to four current members of President Lee Jae Myung’s Cabinet before the church-led World Summit 2022, and that two of them ended up visiting Han."
"Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Chun Jae-soo on Thursday expressed his intention to resign amid mounting speculations that he was among the ruling Democratic Party of Korea politicians that had allegedly taken illicit political funds from the Unification Church.
Upon his arrival at Incheon Airport from his trip to the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, Chun said he would step down from his post, but denied receiving funds from the Unification Church.
"I think it is appropriate for a public official to step down from the Oceans Minister post and face the allegations with dignity ... even though these are based on my false statements," Chun told reporters.
Chun, a three-time liberal lawmaker, served as the Oceans Minister since June and has led the Lee administration's maritime hub initiative in the port city of Busan. Chun has also potentially been considered as a candidate to run for Busan mayor in the local elections in June.
The donations to liberal figures was a belatedly revealed finding from the special counsel's probe into the connection between the religious sect, officially known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification and the main opposition People Power Party."
The International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) invites submissions for presentations, panels, and workshops for the 2026 International Conference, to be held 1–4 July 2026 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, California.
The theme for the 2026 conference is: Expanding the Scope of Coercive Control: Understanding abusive dynamics and their impacts across interpersonal, institutional, and cultic contexts.
In an era marked by increasing polarization, disinformation, and organized manipulation, understanding and protecting against coercion is more relevant than ever. Coercive control refers to a sustained pattern of manipulative and abusive practices designed to subjugate individuals, often resulting in serious consequences for their well-being. While the mechanisms of abuse and resulting harm differ in form and context, there are striking parallels across abusive intimate relationships, gangs, sexual exploitation and trafficking networks, ideological radicalization, and cultic environments. Despite their prevalence, research and evidence-based knowledge of these phenomena remain relatively underdeveloped.
Researchers, practitioners, and individuals with lived experience are warmly invited to submit proposals and join this collaborative effort to advance understanding and strengthen responses to coercive control in all its forms.
ICSA is committed to a transparent and inclusive proposal review process.
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