Jung Sung-ho, Minister of the Ministry of Justice, said he would launch an inspection and an emergency check into allegations that, when Shincheonji leader Lee Man-hee was held in a detention center in 2020, a corrections officer belonging to Shincheonji gave him special treatment.
The Minister said on the 3rd on his Facebook page, "Reports said that at the time of Lee's detention in 2020, a corrections officer who was a follower leaked internal materials from a correctional facility and even tried to stage a 'fall accident' to secure Lee's release on bail," adding, "If true, the corrections officer chose to become a deacon to a specific religious leader rather than a public servant carrying out strict sentence enforcement, and used the nation's correctional administration, funded by taxpayers, as a tool for the private interests of a specific religion."
He continued, "Given that leader Lee Man-hee is currently detained again over the 'forcible mass admission of followers' case, this is by no means a matter that can be taken lightly," adding, "We will promptly begin a thorough inspection and an emergency check of detention facilities to uncover the facts and hold those responsible to account, legally and administratively, commensurate with any violations confirmed."
JTBC reported on the 2nd that when Lee was held at the Suwon Detention Center in 2020, a corrections officer who was a Shincheonji follower prepared a report that recorded in detail, by time of day, his routine such as sleeping, waking, meals, and use of the bathroom, and delivered it to Shincheonji leadership. It also raised allegations that a Shincheonji corrections officer was involved in staging a fall accident inside the detention center to secure his release at the time.
The Minister said, "To prevent a recurrence of similar incidents, we will also prepare institutional improvements to block, as a matter of system, any attempts by high-profile inmates to wield improper influence inside correctional facilities or collude with outside parties."