Lee Man-hee, the leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji), has been indicted on charges of violating the Political Parties Act and obstruction of business. The joint investigation team for corruption between religion and politics (Hapsubon), a combined prosecution and police unit, announced the indictment on June 29, stating that the charges relate to Lee allegedly coercing Shincheonji members to join the People Power Party (PPP), the ruling party in South Korea.
The indictment specifically addresses actions taken around July 2021, ahead of the 20th presidential election, as the statute of limitations for these particular charges was nearing expiration. Hapsubon indicated that further investigations into other alleged offenses by Lee and his co-conspirators are ongoing.
Lee is suspected of directing Shincheonji followers to collectively join a specific political party in the lead-up to both the 20th presidential election in 2022 and the 22nd general election in 2024. According to Hapsubon, at least 56,472 Shincheonji members joined the PPP as a result of these alleged instructions. This included 6,482 members between July and September 2021, 2,873 members in January 2022, 35,073 members between December 2022 and January 2023, and 12,044 members between September 2023 and January 2024.
The Political Parties Act prohibits compelling individuals to join or withdraw from a political party. The statute of limitations for violating this act is five years. Lee's arrest warrant was issued on June 24 by the Seoul Central District Court, citing concerns about potential evidence destruction. His subsequent request for a review of the legality of his detention was denied by the court on June 28, upholding his arrest.