Investigators seek arrest warrant for Shincheonji sect leader Lee Man-hee
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(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with details, background)
SEOUL, June 22 (Yonhap) — Investigators said Monday they have filed for an arrest warrant for the founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a nonmainstream religious sect, over suspicions he forced church members to join the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) ahead of elections between 2021 and 2024.
Lee Man-hee is accused of forcing church followers to join the PPP with the intention of swaying the outcome of the party’s presidential primary in 2021 and the general election primaries in 2024.
A joint police-prosecution taskforce said it requested the warrant for Lee on charges that included violating the Political Parties Act, which bans forcing people to join or quit political parties.
The team believes that more than 50,000 Shincheonji followers joined the party at the encouragement of the religious sect.
It also listed charges of obstruction of business in the warrant request as it believes the mass sign-ups led to disruptions to the PPP’s election-related operations.
Last week, a Seoul court issued arrest warrants for three former senior Shincheonji officials, including Goh Dong-ahn, the church’s former No. 2 leader, over suspicions that they forced followers to join the PPP.
The joint taskforce suspects that Lee was behind the orders for followers to join the PPP.
The case has significant implications for the PPP, which is already tied up with an election law violation case involving former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Yoon is standing trial on charges of making false statements in the lead-up to his presidential election in 2022.
Should Yoon be convicted of election law violations and given a final sentence of 1 million won (US$650) or more in fine, the PPP must return approximately 39.7 billion won it was reimbursed for its expenses in the 2022 presidential election.
Content retrieved from: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260622004952315.
