Subtitled News: "Even a 96-Year-Old Is in Prison"... What Is the Fate of 95-Year-Old Shincheonji Leader Lee Man-hee?

With an arrest warrant requested for Lee Man-hee, the 95-year-old leader of Shincheonji, he is now set to undergo a warrant validity hearing at court.

The joint investigation headquarters of the prosecution and police, which has been investigating allegations of collusion between religion and politics, requested an arrest warrant for Lee today (June 22) on charges including violations of the Political Parties Act.

Lee is accused of forcing church members to join the People Power Party ahead of the party's primary for the 20th presidential election and the primary for the 22nd general election.

He is also charged with obstructing the party affairs of the People Power Party by mobilizing church members to join en masse to influence the primaries.

Investigations revealed that, under Lee's instructions, Shincheonji devised a plan codenamed "Pilates," systematically enrolling tens of thousands of followers into the People Power Party and paying their membership dues on their behalf.

It is reported that the joint investigation headquarters requested the warrant after determining that Lee's health is stable enough to withstand life in prison.

When Lee appeared for questioning by the joint investigation headquarters on the 4th, he walked in on his own, albeit with the help of a cane.

Currently, the oldest inmate in the country is 96 years old, born in 1930.

Furthermore, there have been cases such as a 95-year-old man who was arrested on charges of attempted murder, and last year, Hak Ja Han, the 82-year-old leader of the Unification Church, was detained despite citing her age and health issues during the warrant review stage.

According to the Ministry of Justice, there are five inmates aged 90 or older.

However, a potential variable is that when Lee was previously arrested in 2020 on charges including violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act related to COVID-19, he was released on bail due to deteriorating health.

Given that Lee is now older, if the court determines that he is unfit for prison life, the warrant could be dismissed even if the charges are substantiated.

The warrant validity hearing for Lee is scheduled to be held soon at the Seoul Central District Court.

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Kim Na-on | Design by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.