South Korean Church Leader Arrested Amid Election Influence Probe

SEOUL, South Korea — The leader of a secretive South Korean church was arrested Wednesday as authorities widened an investigation into allegations that he illegally recruited thousands of followers into the conservative People Power Party to influence elections.

Shincheonji Church denies the allegations against Lee Man-hee, 95, a self-proclaimed messenger of Jesus who founded the congregation in the 1980s. The church states it has approximately 200,000 followers.

Since January, a special team of prosecutors and police has investigated alleged ties between religious groups such as Shincheonji and the Unification Church, along with politicians. This inquiry is part of broader investigations under South Korea’s current liberal government into the presidency of former conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted from office and convicted of rebellion over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024.

Appearing at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday afternoon with a cane and assistance from a church official, Lee did not respond to reporters’ questions during his hearing on whether to grant prosecutors’ request for his arrest.

In issuing the arrest warrant Wednesday night, the court cited Lee as a threat to destroy evidence. The church, which had expressed concerns about Lee’s age and health, did not immediately comment on his arrest.

Lee has been suspected of using the church’s regional branches to pressure over 50,000 followers to join the People Power Party (PPP) between 2021 and 2024, aiming to influence the party’s presidential and legislative primaries. Investigators believe this campaign, which allegedly included efforts to support Yoon’s presidential bid, sought favorable treatment for the church, including permits to expand its facilities.

Lee’s arrest follows months after the arrest and indictment of Unification Church leader Hak Ja Han over allegations she ordered church officials to bribe Yoon’s wife and a conservative lawmaker to secure business favors. Han, widow of the church’s founder Sun Myung Moon, has denied the allegations.

An appeals court in April sentenced Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee, to four years in prison after convicting her on various charges, including receiving luxury gifts from a Unification Church official.

Yoon was removed from office in April 2025 after being impeached over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024 following a standoff with the liberal-led legislature. Arrested in July 2025, Yoon faces multiple trials and has appealed a life sentence for rebellion and a separate 30-year prison term over charges that he ordered drone flights over North Korea’s capital to provoke tensions and justify martial law at home.

Liberal President Lee Jae Myung, who won an early presidential election last year after Yoon’s removal from office, has authorized multiple investigations into Yoon’s martial law imposition and other allegations involving his administration and wife.

Lee Man-hee established Shincheonji in 1984, using the term meaning “new heaven and new earth.” He has been labeled by other Christian groups as a false prophet or cult leader. The church describes Lee as “the Promised Pastor,” an attendant of Jesus sent to testify what he claims are fulfilled prophecies from the Book of Revelation.

Han is the top leader of the Unification Church, officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, which her husband, Moon, founded in 1954.

Moon — a self-proclaimed messiah who preached new interpretations of the Bible and conservative family values — built the church into an international movement with millions of followers and extensive business interests. The church is widely known for mass weddings, pairing thousands of couples from different countries.

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