▲ Lee Man-hee
Lee Man-hee, the leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, has been indicted on charges of forcing church members to join the People Power Party (PPP).
Other current and former Shincheonji officials, including former general secretary Go Dong-an, who was considered the second-in-command of the organization, were also indicted on the same charges.
The joint investigation team announced today (July 13) that it has indicted Lee Man-hee while in custody on charges including violation of the Political Parties Act and obstruction of business.
Three other individuals who were already in custody, including former general secretary Go Dong-an and former general secretaries of the John and Simon tribes, were also sent to trial on the same charges.
Four additional Shincheonji officials found to have participated in the scheme were indicted without detention.
Lee is accused of forcing members to join the PPP between 2021 and 2024 with the intent to influence the party's presidential and general election primaries.
Article 42 of the Political Parties Act prohibits the coercion of individuals to join or leave a political party.
The joint investigation team believes that Shincheonji encouraged its members to join the PPP under various names, such as the "Pilates Project," across its regional branches, and that at least 56,472 members joined the party.
Investigations revealed that 6,482 members joined in July 2021 ahead of the 20th presidential election, followed by 2,873 in December 2021, 35,073 in December 2022, and 12,044 in August 2023.
The joint investigation team initially indicted the group on June 29 for the acts of forced party enrollment in July 2021, as the five-year statute of limitations for violating the Political Parties Act was approaching. Today, the team indicted the group on the remaining charges following further investigation.
The investigation found that Lee orchestrated the scheme, believing that creating a "link" to the political sphere was necessary to resolve various issues surrounding the church.
It was determined that former and current officials, including Go, systematically participated in the crime by pressuring each branch to join the party and tracking the progress of enrollment goals under Lee's direction and approval.
The joint investigation team, which was launched on January 6, conducted raids on 56 locations, including the Shincheonji headquarters in Gwacheon, and questioned 203 individuals a total of 272 times regarding the allegations of forced political party enrollment before indicting Lee, who is considered the core of the case.
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