Shincheonji Church of Jesus decries targeted investigations as religious discrimination

byJAVIRA SSEBWAMI | PML Daily Staff Writer 

The Christian organization, established in 1984 by Chairman Lee Man-hee, has reported rapid growth in recent years, with annual membership increases exceeding 100,000. Analysts say the group’s expanding presence and visibility have led to heightened political and social scrutiny.

State action against the organization intensified during the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak. Authorities at the time launched large-scale investigations and administrative measures over alleged violations of infectious disease laws. Shincheonji officials reported more than 10 search-and-seizure operations targeting the group’s headquarters and affiliated churches.

At the height of the pandemic, Lee Jae-myung, who then served as the governor of Gyeonggi Province, took the unusual step of personally overseeing the operation at the church headquarters in Gwacheon.

The government’s hard-line approach was highlighted when then-Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung personally led a forced entry into the Shincheonji headquarters.

South Korean courts later acquitted Shincheonji of major charges, including alleged violations of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.

Shincheonji officials said in a statement that although numerous complaints and accusations have been filed, courts have consistently ruled no charges or not guilty. The church said issues already resolved by the judiciary are being recycled as tools for political and public attacks.

The church emphasized it is a religious community with no intention of engaging in political conflict. It urged authorities to stop using a specific religion as a scapegoat and called for national unity