Lee Man-hee, the leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, has had his request for release denied by the court amid allegations that he coerced over 50,000 followers to join the People Power Party (PPP).
On June 28, a judge at the Seoul Central District Court, Park Chan-beom, ruled that there was "no reason for the request" after hearing arguments for Lee's release. The court's decision means that Lee will remain in custody while the prosecution continues its investigation.
Lee is accused of compelling his followers to join the PPP to influence the party's presidential and general election primaries from 2021 to 2024. According to Article 42 of the Political Party Act, forcing individuals to join or leave a political party against their will is prohibited.
The joint investigation team reported that Shincheonji encouraged membership under the codename "Pilates Project," with at least 56,472 followers joining the PPP. The church began this initiative between July and September 2021, shortly before the presidential election, and continued to recruit members until January 2024, ahead of the general elections following the election of Yoon Suk-yeol as president.
Additionally, the investigation team found that Shincheonji organized these memberships to address internal issues, such as changing the use of church buildings, which allegedly disrupted the operations of the PPP. They also noted that they had obtained membership lists through searches and confirmed a hierarchical structure from the church leader to the general secretary and local church heads.
Particularly, ahead of the 2022 presidential election, Lee stated, "Yoon Suk-yeol must become president." The investigation team plans to focus on the specific circumstances surrounding Lee's directives for follower membership and whether there were direct requests or contacts from political figures during this process.
The investigation team has also captured evidence suggesting that statements urging followers to join as paying members were made, and that lists of followers were passed to campaign officials.
Lee was arrested after a pre-arrest hearing on June 24, where the court expressed concerns about potential evidence tampering.
Initially, there were speculations in legal circles that the court might dismiss the warrant due to Lee's advanced age of 95. However, the court ultimately recognized the necessity of his detention. Previously, there have been instances where courts have detained elderly individuals, including a 95-year-old man charged with attempted murder, and current reports indicate that a 96-year-old man is serving time in prison.
During the hearing, Lee appeared in court with a cane and assistance from a friend. He remained silent in response to questions from reporters regarding whether he directly instructed followers to join the party or if it was to support Yoon Suk-yeol. As he entered the courtroom, shouts from citizens denouncing him could be heard.
With the denial of Lee's release, the joint investigation team is expected to intensify its inquiry into allegations of collusion between religion and politics.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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