A special counsel team investigating former first lady Kim Keon-hee hinted that it might seek the pretrial detention of Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, assistant counselor Kim Hyung-geun said Han, who is a suspect in the investigation, had unilaterally appeared for questioning earlier in the day, without consulting the special counsel team, after failing to respond to three previous summonses.

Kim suggested that Han had likely decided to attend the interrogation after waiting to see whether the court ordered the detention of other suspects in the case and said the team intends to proceed strictly with the investigation in line with legal principles and procedures.

The statement implied that Han had been waiting for the court's ruling on the pretrial detention of main opposition People Power Party(PPP) Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, who is accused of accepting bribes from Han's organization.

The Unification Church leader is suspected of colluding with the church's then-second-in-command in 2022 to give Kweon 100 million won, or around 72-thousand U.S. dollars, in exchange for his help ensuring the group's participation in state projects under former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Han has also been linked to the delivery of a high-end necklace and Chanel bag to the former first lady later the same year, through a shaman with whom she was close, in exchange for favors to the church.