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Shincheonji dogged by embezzlement allegations over legal defense fund to protect founder

Published: 09 Feb. 2026, 14:40 Updated: 09 Feb. 2026, 15:41

Lee Man-hee, founder and leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, holds a news conference at the Shincheonji Peace Palace in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, on March 2, 2020. [JOONGANG ILBO]

The Shincheonji Church of Jesus raised about 17 billion won ($12 million) from its followers to defend its founder, Lee Man-hee, as he faced criminal investigations tied to the Covid-19 outbreak and alleged financial crimes, according to prosecutorial records reviewed by the JoongAng Ilbo.

Allegations by former Shincheonji members and people familiar with the investigation suggest that a significant portion of the funds may have been diverted for political lobbying. Investigators could broaden a joint prosecutors–police task force inquiry into alleged corruption and collusion involving the Christian fringe group if the claims are substantiated.

The 17 billion won was ostensibly used to assemble a legal defense team and support efforts to mitigate Lee’s legal exposure after authorities launched investigations into his conduct during the early stages of the pandemic, including alleged violations of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act and embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.

The church began raising funds for Lee’s defense in July 2020, according to a prosecutorial decision not to indict Lee on embezzlement charges reviewed by the JoongAng Ilbo on Sunday.

At the time, Lee had come under scrutiny from prosecutors for allegedly interfering with public health authorities’ Covid-19 quarantine efforts, including by concealing the identities of Shincheonji members.

After questioning Lee twice, prosecutors sought an arrest warrant, which a court approved on Aug. 1, 2020. Shincheonji continued fund-raising even after Lee was taken into custody, collecting donations for nine months through March 2021 and amassing about 17 billion won.

Donations routed through senior members

When the fund-raising began, several senior Shincheonji officials, including former Secretary General Ko Dong-an, had also been indicted. In response, leaders of the church’s 12 "tribes" — factions that oversee specific regions — convened an emergency meeting and decided to collect donations under the stated purpose of covering legal fees and living expenses.

Rather than using official church accounts, the group directed donations to personal bank accounts held by senior members, including a Kookmin Bank account under the name of an executive identified by the surname Tan and a Hana Bank account under the name Im.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho District, southern Seoul, is seen on Sept. 26. 2025. [YONHAP]

Prosecutors estimated that Shincheonji raised about 17 billion won through this process. During the investigation phase, the church paid 330 million won each to law firms Min & C and Lee & Ko; 440 million won to Law Group Minju, and 1.1 billion won to Bae, Kim & Lee. During the trial phase, it paid an additional 1.1 billion won to Min & C and 209 million won to Lee & Ko. About 4.5 billion won remained after legal expenses and was kept by Tan in a personal account.

Former Shincheonji members who later left the church said the use of the funds remained opaque.

“They collected 490,000 won per person for legal fees, but they raised far more than what was actually spent. Everyone suspected that some of the money was used for lobbying," said one former senior official.

Another former executive said, “They avoided church accounts because it would look like they were using church funds. If money collected as legal donations was spent elsewhere, that would be embezzlement. If it went to lobbying, that would also be very serious.”

Despite the allegations, the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office decided not to indict Lee on embezzlement charges in June 2021. A group of former Shincheonji members accused Lee of diverting church operating funds to hire around 22 or 23 lawyers, but prosecutors said the evidence was insufficient.

Separate embezzlement case expands scrutiny

The Shincheonji Church of Jesus headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, is seen as search and seizure operations are underway on Jan. 30. [NEWS1]

The joint investigation task force has also been examining allegations against Ko, who authorities have described as Lee’s second-in-command. Police transferred a case accusing Ko of embezzling more than 10 billion won to prosecutors.

Investigators believe Ko raised about 11.3 billion won between September 2017 and roughly three years later, ostensibly for publicity efforts and to address Lee’s legal risks. However, only about 170 million won was spent on publicity, according to investigators, who allege that Ko transferred about 800 million won into accounts held by his wife and father.

The task force has recently traced transactions linked to accounts held by Ko and his family members. With evidence that Shincheonji raised about 17 billion won specifically for legal purposes, critics say investigators must determine how the remaining funds were ultimately used.

“They clearly tried to avoid tracking by using executives’ personal accounts and keeping individual donations under 490,000 won," a legal professional familiar with Shincheonji’s internal operations at the time said.

"Investigators need to determine whether the money was used to lobby legal and political circles to reduce Lee’s legal risks.”

BY JO SU-BIN, SON SUNG-BAE [[email protected]]