Doomsday cult leader's watch unexpectedly sparks political controversy

This file image shows a close-up upside-down image of a watch worn by Shincheonji Church of Jesus leader Lee Man-hee. [Yonhap Photo]

SEOUL -- With eyes full of curiosity, South Koreans gazed at the shiny golden wristwatch that was wrapped around the left hand of Lee Man-hee, the founder and deified leader of Shincheonji, when he lowered himself to the ground to offer a full bow in a traditional gesture of apology over a new coronavirus epidemic.

The watch shining on Lee's bare wrist stood out among his outfit of a grey suit accented with a gold-colored Hermes necktie during a televised news conference on Monday near his riverside residence east of Seoul.

The church leader wore a short-sleeved white shirt so that its left cuff did not cover the watch. As if they were waiting, photojournalists zoomed in on Lee's shining jewelry using high-magnification camera lenses to get clear shots that shook political and social communities as a time when there are growing public demands for Lee's arrest for hampering a state anti-epidemic campaign.

Watch enthusiasts soon identified the watch as a special presidential gift handed out by South Korea's jailed ex-president Park Geun-hye who was impeached and ousted for her role in a massive corruption scandal in 2017.

Shincheonji Church of Jesus leader Lee Man-hee bows to the ground during a press conference held on March 2. [Yonhap Photo]

Featuring Park's autograph, a presidential emblem of phoenixes and the rose of Sharon, it looked more luxurious than normal versions coated with chrome or gold with no date window. It had stick indices while the ordinary version had round indices. The bezel, dial and strap were all different from an ordinary watch handed out by Park.

The watch fueled speculation that Lee was sending out a warning against a conservative opposition party formerly known as the Liberty Korea Party which has supported Park. Some people raised suspicions that Lee was intentionally revealing his deep-rooted connection with conservative politicians.

Park's lawyer, Yoo Young-ha, argued that Lee was wearing a fake watch because the former president has only handed out silver watches with no date window.

"Lee Man-hee wore a fake Park Geun-hye watch and he hinted that a lot of people could get hurt if he is wrongly touched," Cha Myung-jin, a politician from Park's faction, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday, adding Lee probably has maintained "more than one or two connections."

Kim Jin-tae, another conservative politician, dismissed any connection between Lee and Park. "Would there be any reason for a person who was accused of homicide by the current government to brag about his relationship with President Park?"

[This screenshot was taken from Junggonara]

The very same watch worn by Lee was put on sale on Junggonara, the biggest online secondhand market in South Korea, on Tuesday. "I am selling the Lee Man-hee watch", the seller uploaded a post including a photograph of the same watch on the online market. It carried a price tag of 300,000 won ($251).

The initial post was deleted soon, but more watches with slightly different designs were put up for sale.

The tradition of handing out wristwatches as a presidential gift dates back to Roh Tae-woo, an ex-army general who served as president from 1988 to 1993. In 2014, Park handed out a limited edition of watches engraved in gold with her autograph and a pair of phoenixes, the presidential emblem, to ruling party legislators as Lunar New Year gifts.

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com

Doomsday cult leader's watch unexpectedly sparks political controversy

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