President reportedly sought contact with NBA star Stephen Curry through Unification Church

A JoongAng Ilbo report has found that President Lee Jae Myung's presidential campaign sought to arrange contact with NBA star Stephen Curry through the Unification Church ahead of the 2022 election.

President Lee Jae Myung, left, and NBA star player Stephen Curry [JOINT PRESS CORPS/REUTERS/YONHAP]

A JoongAng Ilbo report has found that President Lee Jae Myung's presidential campaign sought to arrange contact with NBA star Stephen Curry through the Unification Church ahead of the 2022 election.

The move was part of an attempt by Yun Young-ho, former director of the Unification Church's world headquarters, to arrange a virtual conversation between a famous U.S. figure and Lee’s camp with support from the Democratic Party (DP).

According to the findings, Yun had a phone call on Feb. 7, 2022, with the church's vice president, Lee Hyun-young, who inquired about the progress of the virtual meeting preparations. When Yun reportedly said that no contact had been made with former U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the church's vice president recommended attempting to make even brief contact with someone like Stephen Curry.

The vice president is reported to have claimed that the DP was willing to cover the costs, adding that the move was about attracting young voters with someone of that celebrity status.

Yun responded that Curry was more expensive than Clinton to arrange contact with, according to the JoongAng Ilbo's findings, claiming that an appearance by the basketball star would cost $800,000.

The Unification Church headquarters in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, is seen on Sept. 18. [YONHAP]

Yun reportedly said he would reconsider it, but that he had already approached 11 or 12 U.S. Democrats, adding that Clinton seemed willing to confirm one or two dates.

Stephen Curry debuted in the NBA in 2009 with the Golden State Warriors, where he still plays. He was unanimously named MVP in the 2015–2016 season and holds virtually every major record related to 3-point shooting, including most career and single-season 3-pointers.

He also has high name recognition in Korea, having appeared on the variety show “Infinite Challenge” (2005-18) during his visit in 2017.

The findings come as Korea is engulfed in a growing political scandal involving alleged illegal funding and influence-peddling between the Unification Church and prominent politicians across party lines. A special counsel investigation into the church’s activities revealed that Yun testified that the organization provided money and luxury gifts to multiple lawmakers from both the DP and the People Power Party (PPP), though the counsel has so far focused on ties to the PPP.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY JEONG JIN-HO, JEONG JIN-WOO, KIM SEONG-JIN [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]