South Korean Lawmaker Convicted in Church Bribery Case, Loses Parliamentary Seat

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Seoul: South Korea's Supreme Court confirmed opposition political leader Kweon Seong-dong's 2 year prison term on Thursday, ending a years-long legal struggle over charges that he received illegal campaign funding from the Unification Church. The verdict is final and instantly removes the five-term People Power Party (PPP) representative from his parliamentary position, as South Korean legislation disqualifies lawmakers condemned to prison.

The court found no legal faults in the lower courts' rulings, confirming that Kweon collected 100 million won (about $72,000) in illicit political contributions from church-linked persons in exchange for using his political influence to support the church. The Supreme Court determined that the evidence presented during the trial was adequate to support the conviction.

An appeal court previously determined that Kweon had violated the public trust in elected officials by taking illicit donations, and that his conduct harmed trust in South Korea's political system. Judges dismissed his claim that the money was unrelated to any political favours, determining that the contributions were illegal political fundraising.

The verdict is part of a wider corruption probe involving the Unification Church, which is accused of gaining political power through financial incentives. The scandal has implicated several notable figures, including former first lady Kim Keon Hee, who was convicted in a separate bribery case involving the church, and church leader Han Hak-ja, who is presently on trial on related charges.