Shincheonji Ex-Secretary Summoned in Religion-Politics Collusion Probe
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A joint investigation team (headed by Chief Investigator Kim Tae-hoon, Chief Prosecutor of Daejeon High Prosecutors’ Office) probing allegations of collusion between religion and politics will summon Ko, the former secretary-general of Shincheonji known as the group’s “former number 2,” for questioning on the 6th. This will mark Ko’s first appearance at the team.
According to sources familar with the matter, the team plans to question Ko as a witness regarding the collusion allegations. While Ko was listed as a suspect for violating the Political Parties Act and obstructing business during the team’s raid on Shincheonji’s headquarters on the 30th of last month, he has not yet been officially designated as a suspect.
Previously, the team summoned former Shincheonji executives and associates as witnesses to press them on the motives and circumstances behind organizing followers’ memberships in the People Power Party ahead of the 2022 presidential election and the 2024 general election. During investigations, the team reportedly secured testimonies that Shincheonji systematically pushed for follower memberships under the operational name “Pilates,” assigning regional quotas and managing enrollment statuses from higher-ups.
The team also reportedly identified circumstances in which Ko allegedly contacted political circles, including the Democratic Party of Korea, during the 2021 COVID-19 crisis to quell tax investigations and prosecutorial probes against Lee Man-hee, the group’s general director. However, Shincheonji maintains, “There is no fact that we instructed any political party, including the People Power Party and the Democratic Party of Korea, to join as party members or engage in lobbying activities.”
Content retrieved from: https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/02/06/Q6RTDLS365B73OMU5YBYYEN5JQ/.
