Former Shincheonji Officials Face Arrest Hearing Over Alleged Mass Enrollment in People Power Party

Former high-ranking officials of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, suspected of orchestrating the mass enrollment of its members into the ruling People Power Party (PPP), are facing a critical juncture as courts deliberate on their potential arrest.

Judge Budong-sik of the Seoul Central District Court began the warrant validity hearing (pretrial detention hearing) for Go Dong-han, a former general secretary of Shincheonji, at 2:00 p.m. today (June 17) on charges including violations of the Political Parties Act.

Hearings were also held today for two other former officials for whom arrest warrants were requested: a former general secretary of the John Tribe and a former general secretary of the Simon Tribe.

The joint investigation team of prosecutors and police, which is probing allegations of collusion between religion and politics, requested arrest warrants for Go and the others on June 12 on charges including violations of the Political Parties Act.

Go and the others are accused of forcing Shincheonji members to join the People Power Party 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 into joining or leaving a political party.

The joint investigation team estimates that over 50,000 Shincheonji members joined the People Power Party after the church encouraged enrollment across its branches under initiatives such as the "Pilates Project."

The warrant also includes charges of obstruction of business, as investigators believe this organized effort to register party members disrupted the People Power Party's election-related operations.

This marks the first attempt to detain suspects since the joint investigation team was launched on January 6, approximately five months ago.

If the warrants are issued, the investigation into Shincheonji leader Lee Man-hee, considered the "pinnacle" of the alleged scheme, is expected to gain momentum.

During the interrogation of former Shincheonji officials, the joint investigation team secured testimonies suggesting that the directive to join the party was handed down from Lee to the general secretary, then to individual tribe leaders, local church pastors, and finally to the men's, women's, and youth associations. The testimonies indicated that such a collective movement would have been impossible without Lee's direct orders.

On June 4, the team summoned Lee as a suspect to question him regarding the overall allegations.

The joint investigation team is also looking into allegations that Go, who has managed the church's finances since 2017, collected over 11.3 billion won from members under the guise of legal and promotional expenses for Lee, and subsequently embezzled a portion of those funds.

However, it is understood that these specific criminal allegations were not included in the current arrest warrant requests.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.