Lee Man-hee, chairman of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji), has been indicted and will stand trial in custody over allegations of orchestrated party membership registrations involving the People Power Party.
The Joint Investigation Headquarters on collusion between religion and politics said on the 29th that it indicted the chairman in custody on charges including violating the Political Parties Act.
The task force said that among the criminal facts it is currently investigating regarding the chairman, it indicted him in custody on charges including violating the Political Parties Act for, ahead of the 20th presidential election in July 2021, coercing believers to join a specific party and obstructing the party's operations.
Prosecutors allege the chairman, to influence politics to resolve denominational pending issues, organized mass registrations of church members into the People Power Party around the 2022 20th presidential election and the 2024 22nd general election.
Article 42 of the Political Parties Act stipulates that no one may force another to join or leave a political party against their free will. Violations are punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 2 million won.
The task force explained that, because the statute of limitations on the alleged mass sign-ups related to the 20th presidential election is nearing, it brought that charge first.
The task force believes the chairman and others coerced believers to join the People Power Party, resulting in more than 50,000 believers signing up with the party.
On the 22nd, the task force sought an arrest warrant for the chairman on these charges, and the warrant was issued on the 24th. The chairman cited being 95 years old and health issues, but the court issued the warrant, saying there were concerns about destruction of evidence.
After the warrant was issued, the chairman asked the court the previous day to review the legality of the detention again, but the court rejected the request, saying there was "no reason for the petition."
The task force said it will conduct a strict and swift investigation into the remaining allegations and detained accomplices as well.