Court Denies Review of Detention for Shincheonji Leader Lee Man-hee Over 'Mass Party Enrollment' Allegations

The court has rejected a request for release filed by Lee Man-hee, the chairman of Shincheonji, who is currently detained on charges of orchestrating the mass enrollment of Shincheonji followers into the People Power Party (PPP). Lee had requested a review of the legality of his detention.

Judge Park Chan-beom of the Seoul Central District Court held a hearing for the review of detention today (June 28) and dismissed the request, stating that it was "without merit."

A review of detention is a legal procedure in which the court determines whether the detention of a suspect during the investigation stage is lawful and whether there is a continued need for such detention.

With the request denied, Lee will remain in custody while the investigation continues.

Lee was arrested on June 24 on charges of violating the Political Parties Act by forcing followers to join the party to influence the People Power Party's presidential and general election primaries between 2021 and 2024.

Article 42 of the Political Parties Act prohibits the coercion of individuals to join or withdraw from a political party.

The joint investigation team of prosecutors and police (led by Kim Tae-hoon, Chief Prosecutor of the Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office), which is investigating allegations of collusion between religion and politics, suspects that Shincheonji encouraged its followers to join the People Power Party under project names such as the "Pilates Project" for each branch.

The joint investigation team estimates that at least 56,000 Shincheonji followers joined the People Power Party as members through this process.

The investigators believe that Shincheonji organized the party enrollment drive to resolve various church issues, such as the permitted use of church buildings.

Accordingly, the arrest warrant also included charges of obstruction of business for interfering with the election-related operations of the People Power Party.

The joint investigation team plans to question Lee to determine whether there were any requests or involvement from political circles behind the directive to enroll followers.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.