Lead

South Korean investigators have sought arrest warrants for the founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus and three former senior officials over allegations that they forced church members to join the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to sway election primaries, according to multiple reports from Yonhap News.

Lee Man-hee, the church's founder, was questioned by a joint prosecution-police task force on June 4 over suspicions that he violated the Political Parties Act, which prohibits forcing people to join or quit political parties. The task force, established in January to investigate allegedly corrupt ties between political and religious groups, has since broadened its probe to include former church leaders.

Coverage Comparison

All six Yonhap News reports describe the same core allegations: that Shincheonji leadership orchestrated mass enrollments of followers into the PPP between 2021 and 2024, with the intention of influencing the party's presidential primary in 2021 and general election primaries in 2024. The reports consistently cite the Political Parties Act as the legal basis for the investigation.

However, the articles differ in their focus. One early report centered on Lee Man-hee's initial questioning, while later reports detailed the arrest warrant requests for the three former officials and ultimately for Lee himself. Another report emphasized the court hearings for the former officials, and a subsequent update noted that the court had granted those warrants. The most comprehensive report, published June 22, added that the task force also listed obstruction of business charges in Lee's warrant request, arguing that the mass sign-ups disrupted PPP election operations.

The number of followers allegedly involved is consistently reported as more than 50,000, though one report specifies the period as 2021 to 2023, while others state 2021 to 2024.

Key Claims

  • Lee Man-hee was questioned on June 4 by the joint task force over suspicions he forced church members to join the PPP, according to multiple reports.
  • The task force believes more than 50,000 Shincheonji followers joined the PPP as a result of the alleged scheme, as reported by all six Yonhap articles.
  • Arrest warrants were sought for three former senior officials, including Goh Dong-ahn, the church's former No. 2 leader, on charges of violating the Political Parties Act, as reported in three Yonhap articles. A Seoul court granted the warrants on June 17, citing concerns about evidence destruction and flight risk.
  • Investigators filed for an arrest warrant for Lee Man-hee on June 22, accusing him of forcing followers to join the PPP and of obstruction of business, as reported in two Yonhap articles.
  • The case has significant implications for the PPP, which is already involved in an election law violation case against former President Yoon Suk Yeol. According to a Yonhap report, if Yoon is convicted and given a final sentence of 1 million won (US$650) or more in fines, the PPP must return approximately 39.7 billion won it was reimbursed for its 2022 presidential election expenses.
The joint task force, which conducted raids on Shincheonji and PPP headquarters since January, has secured lists of church followers and party members. Investigators are expected to determine whether the forced memberships were part of unlawful exchanges between Lee and the PPP.

Lee Man-hee did not answer questions from reporters as he entered the task force office for questioning on June 4, according to one report.