Executives of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus apologize for forcing its members to join the People Power Party en masse in a YouTube video uploaded on Aug. 20.SCREEN CAPTURE
Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a nonmainstream religious sect widely regarded in Korea as a cult, issued an official apology on Thursday over the controversy surrounding the mass enrollment of its church members in the People Power Party (PPP).
“We deeply apologize for causing public controversy and great concern over the recent enrollment of our church members in the PPP,” Lim Jeong-hwan, acting secretary general of Shincheonji, said in a statement released through the sect’s YouTube channel on Thursday. “Regardless of the circumstances, we feel a profound sense of responsibility for causing political controversy.”
The acting secretary general vowed to take the matter as “a painful opportunity for self-reflection.”
“From now on, we will sever all ties with the political sphere and strictly maintain political neutrality,” Lim said. “We will devote ourselves solely to our fundamental mission as a religious organization and to purely religious activities.”
Lim also directly apologized to Shincheonji followers.
“I cannot express how sorry I am for causing our members such pain and disappointment,” Lim said. “I deeply regret that we failed to provide the support and protection they deserved.”
Lim closed by reaffirming the church's mission.
“We will fulfill our responsibilities and duties as members of Korean society and strive to become a mature religious organization committed to its faith and coexistence with society,” Lim said.
The apology, however, stopped short of acknowledging any specific criminal allegations related to the alleged forced enrollment of Shincheonji members in the PPP.
Shincheonji's headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, are seen on Jan. 30.YONHAP
The video was posted as investigation and court proceedings continue into those allegations.
The joint police-prosecution task force suspects that Shincheonji systematically forced church members to join the PPP between 2021 and 2024 in an attempt to influence the outcome of the party’s presidential and general election primaries.
Investigators believe individual Shincheonji branches ran campaigns to encourage members to join the party under code names such as the “Pilates Project.”
At least 56,472 church members are believed to have joined the party as a result.
Lee Man-hee, the leader and founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on June 24.JOINT PRESS CORPS
Investigators have also reportedly obtained testimony that orders to join the party came from Shincheonji founder and leader Lee Man-hee and were passed down through the secretary general, branch leaders and church leaders to lower levels of the organization.
Lee was questioned as a suspect in June and later indicted under detention on charges of obstruction of business and violations of the Political Parties Act the same month.
Three former Shincheonji executives were also indicted under detention on the same charges.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
