Religious Leaders Demand Dissolution, Restitution for Harmful Groups
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On the 12th, during a luncheon meeting with religious leaders held at Cheong Wa Dae, heads of the seven major domestic religious groups strongly criticized the harms caused by pseudo and cult religions, officially proposing to the government the dissolution of religious organizations that harm the state and its people, as well as restitution of their assets to compensate victims.
According to Kang Yu-jung, a spokesperson for Cheong Wa Dae, the religious leaders specifically mentioned Shincheonji and the Unification Church during the meeting, voicing shared concerns over the social damages caused by pseudo-religions.
They emphasized, “The public will agree that religious groups causing harm to the nation and its people should be dissolved,” and stressed that behaviors destroying citizens’ lives—beyond collusion between religion and politics—must no longer be tolerated.
In particular, the attendees requested the government actively review measures to restitute assets from problematic religious foundations to aid victims suffering from pseudo-religions.
In response, President Lee Jae-myung reportedly expressed deep sympathy with the religious community’s criticisms and the necessity of dissolution, stating, “This is a truly difficult issue, but the harms caused to our society have been neglected for too long, and the damage is immense.”
President Lee and the religious leaders also shared opinions on the spread of hate sentiment in society and the politicization of diplomatic and security issues. The religious leaders highly evaluated the president’s proposal to sever ties with hate, defining hatred toward migrants as a “breeding ground for fascism.”
President Lee urged, “In matters critical to the nation’s survival, such as diplomacy and security, I ask the religious community to play a significant role in preventing them from becoming subjects of political strife.”
Content retrieved from: https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/01/12/O3WLJAOQCFH6VK73IRN7AKYP3U/.
