Investigators allegedly overlooked Shincheonji sect's possible DP link

A joint prosecution-police team investigating alleged collusion between politics and religion reportedly overlooked a statement obtained in March from former Shincheonji Church of Jesus members. This statement indicated that followers of the sect were urged to join both the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) and the ruling Democratic Party (DP) ahead of the 2022 local elections. The youth chairperson of the church's Simon branch allegedly instructed followers to join both parties to demonstrate their influence to politicians.

Despite securing this statement, the investigative team reportedly did not pursue an investigation into the DP's potential involvement. Instead, the focus remained solely on allegations that Shincheonji members had collectively joined the PPP. Investigators did not examine whether church members joined the DP following the chairperson's encouragement or if similar cases occurred in other regions. Consequently, raids were conducted only at the PPP headquarters between February and March.

Subsequently, the church's founder, Lee Man-hee, and other church officials were indicted on charges of compelling followers to join the PPP with the intent to influence the results of the party's 2021 presidential primary and its candidate nominations for the 2024 general elections. The team only recently announced the launch of an investigation into allegations that Shincheonji followers joined the DP last year during the party's candidate nominations for the June 3 local elections.