▲ The headquarters of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.
The joint prosecution-police investigation team probing allegations of collusion between politics and religion has summoned Ko Dong-an, the former secretary-general of Shincheonji who was once considered the group's "second-in-command," for the third time.
The joint investigation team has been questioning Ko as a suspect on charges of occupational embezzlement since around 10 a.m. today (June 5).
Ko is accused of managing the religious group's finances since 2017 and collecting more than 11.3 billion won from followers under the pretext of Chairman Lee Man-hee's legal fees and promotional expenses, before using the funds for other purposes or pocketing a portion of them.
Based on internal testimonies that Ko served as a link between Shincheonji and political circles, the joint investigation team is focusing on the possibility that the funds may have flowed into political donations.
Ko, who was a close confidant of Chairman Lee, is also accused of leading the collective registration of Shincheonji followers as dues-paying members of the ruling People Power Party around the time of the 20th presidential election in 2021 and the 22nd general election in 2024.
Ko was expelled from Shincheonji in 2024 over the embezzlement allegations.
Last month, the joint investigation team summoned Ko twice as a suspect for violating the Political Parties Act to question whether the collective registration into the People Power Party was carried out under the instructions of Chairman Lee.
On the previous day, the team summoned Chairman Lee and questioned him for about seven hours.
As the joint investigation team fast-tracks its probe into Ko's embezzlement allegations—considered a branch of the case—following the face-to-face questioning of Chairman Lee, who is at the center of the suspicions, observers suggest that the investigation is entering its final stages.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.