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On June 24, Shincheonji leader Lee Man-hee, who is facing charges of violating the Political Parties Act, arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to attend a pre-arrest questioning. / Courtesy of Yonhap News

Shincheonji leader Lee Man-hee, 95, has been arrested on charges of orchestrating the mass enrollment of his followers into the People Power Party.

Senior Judge Kim Jin-man, in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, conducted a pre-arrest questioning on the 24th for the Shincheonji head—who faces charges including violations of the Political Parties Act—and issued an arrest warrant, citing a risk of evidence destruction.

Lee faces allegations of forcing his followers to register as members of the ruling People Power Party from 2021 through 2024. A joint prosecution-police investigation team probing the collusion between politics and religion believes that Shincheonji actively encouraged its members to join the party under codenames like the "Pilates Project" across various church branches, and investigators have determined that at least 5,600 followers were enrolled during this process.

Article 42 of the Political Parties Act stipulates that no individual can be compelled to join or withdraw from a political party against their free will, and the crime of forced party enrollment is punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 2 million won.

On the 17th, Go Do-an, former general secretary of Shincheonji, along with other church officials, were also arrested on identical charges due to concerns over evidence destruction and flight risks.

                                                                                                        Son Seung-hyun