Lee Man-hee, the leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, is facing imminent arrest for allegedly coercing over 50,000 followers to join the ruling People Power Party (PPP).
On June 24, the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Kim Jin-man, began a pre-arrest hearing for Lee, who is accused of violating party law and obstructing business operations.
Lee arrived at the court using a cane and was assisted by a friend. He did not respond to reporters' questions regarding whether he directly instructed followers to join the party or if it was intended to support former President Yoon Suk-yeol. As he entered the courtroom, some citizens shouted criticisms at him from the sidelines.
The joint investigation team, which is probing allegations of corruption involving religious and political collusion, filed for an arrest warrant for Lee on June 22. This marks the first warrant request since the team's establishment on January 6, 2026.
Lee is accused of forcing followers to join the PPP to influence the party's primaries for the presidential and general elections from 2021 to 2024. Article 42 of the party law prohibits coercing individuals into joining or leaving a political party against their will.
The investigation team has reported that Shincheonji encouraged membership under the codename "Pilates Project," with at least 56,472 followers joining the PPP.
According to the investigation, Shincheonji began recruiting members from July to September 2021, with continuous membership drives occurring after Yoon's election and leading up to the general election in January 2024.
Additionally, the investigation team claims that Shincheonji organized these membership drives to address internal issues, such as changing the use of church buildings, which disrupted the PPP's operations. They have also documented a hierarchical structure from the church leader to the general secretary and district leaders through seized membership lists.
Notably, ahead of the 2022 presidential election, Lee reportedly stated, "Yoon Suk-yeol must become president. Join as members who pay party dues," and there are indications that a list of followers was passed to Yoon's campaign team.
Lee has denied all allegations and is expected to maintain this stance during the hearing.
Previously, on June 13, the investigation team arrested three former executives, including former general secretary Ko Dong-an. Legal experts suggest that Lee's advanced age and health condition, as he is over 90 years old, may significantly influence the court's decision on the warrant.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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