Leader of secretive South Korean church arrested in election influence investigation

Key Points:

• Lee Man-hee, leader of the Shincheonji Church, was arrested in South Korea amid investigations into allegations that he illegally recruited thousands of followers to join the conservative People Power Party to influence elections.
• Prosecutors suspect Lee pressured over 50,000 church members from 2021 to 2024 to support the party’s presidential and legislative primaries, aiming to secure favorable treatment for the church, including facility expansion permits.
• The investigation is part of broader probes into ties between religious groups like Shincheonji and the Unification Church and politicians, linked to former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration and his subsequent removal from office.
• The arrest follows related cases, including the indictment of Unification Church leader Hak Ja Han over bribery allegations involving Yoon’s wife and a conservative lawmaker, with Yoon’s wife also sentenced to prison for receiving luxury gifts from the church.
• Lee Man-hee, 95, founded Shincheonji in 1984 and is regarded by the church as a prophesied messenger, though other Christian groups label him a cult leader or false prophet.