Oceans and Fisheries Minister Chun Jae-soo has denied receiving cash and gifts from the Unification Church.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the minister said that accusations of bribery directed at him were entirely false and that he had never received any money or gifts from the church, whether in the course of his parliamentary activities or in a personal capacity.

Earlier in the day, JTBC reported that Yun Young-ho, former head of the Unification Church’s global headquarters, claimed to have provided Chun with 30 to 40 million won in cash and two luxury watches between 2018 and 2020.

Chun said that dressing up baseless statements as facts constituted fabrication and a grave criminal act, vowing to hold those responsible fully accountable through all available legal means.

Chun is currently in New York promoting South Korea’s bid to host the United Nations Ocean Conference.