Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Kweon Seong-dong denied accepting illegal funds from the Unification Church.

Kweon's trial began at 11 a.m. Monday at the Seoul Central District Court, which had authorized the filming of the proceedings.

A special counsel team investigating former first lady Kim Keon-hee accused Kweon of taking 100 million won, or around 70-thousand U.S. dollars, in illegal political funds from Yun Young-ho, former second-in-command of the Unification Church, in January 2022, in violation of the Political Funds Act.

The team says Yun promised to support then-presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol, leading up to the March election, in return for his help securing the incoming administration's support for the Church.

Kweon's lawyers acknowledged that the lawmaker had met the former Church leader but said no illegal funds had been exchanged.

Kweon was taken into custody on October 2 after the National Assembly approved a motion for the five-term lawmaker's arrest on September 16.