SEOUL, Jan 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A South Korean court sentenced prominent opposition lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong to two years in prison on Wednesday for receiving bribes from the cult-like Unification Church, Yonhap news agency reported.

Special prosecutors had demanded four years for Kweon, accusing him of receiving 100 million won ($70,000) from the sect.

But the judge handed him a two-year jail term, according to Yonhap.

An ally of disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol, Kweon served as floor leader of the conservative People Power Party through the height of the political turmoil sparked by Yoon's disastrous martial law declaration.

Yoon was ousted in April and is now in prison following his brief imposition of martial law, with voters electing President Lee Jae Myung in a snap election in June.

Kweon's sentencing came just hours after Yoon's wife, former first lady Kim Keon Hee, was sentenced to 20 months in jail for accepting gifts from the same sect.

The probe into Kim also led to the arrest of Han Hak-ja, leader of the church, known for its mass weddings which claims 10 million followers worldwide and runs a vast business empire.

That has led to a ballooning scandal in which multiple politicians from both the left and right have been accused of taking cash from the church.

Last month, oceans minister Chun Jae-soo resigned following media claims he received 30 million won in cash as well as two luxury watches from the church between 2018 and 2020.

President Lee has vowed to crackdown on religious institutions seen to be wielding undue political influence.