South Korean cult leader arrested in election interference probe

South Korean authorities arrested Lee Man-hee, the 95-year-old leader of the Shincheonji religious sect, on charges of election interference, Korean outlet The Chosun Daily reported Thursday. Lee is accused of pressuring Shincheonji members to join the People Power Party en masse to influence elections in 2022 and 2024. More than 50,000 of Lee’s followers may have been forced to join the party, authorities alleged.

A judge approved the warrant for Lee’s arrest over concerns that he might destroy evidence, according to The Chosun Daily. The court also earlier issued warrants for three other top Shincheonji leaders on similar grounds.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol of the People Power Party narrowly won the 2022 presidential election, though he was impeached and removed from office in 2025 after attempting to impose martial law. Investigators accused Lee of swaying the election in Yoon’s favor, in exchange for the former president quashing investigations into Shincheonji that were ongoing at the time, according to The Chosun Daily.

Have Shincheonji leaders commented on the arrest? The group had not released a public statement as of Thursday afternoon. However, in a previous statement, the group denied all claims of election interference. The group did not know or control its members’ political affiliation, it said. Its leaders urged investigators to cross-reference party membership lists with Shincheonji’s membership rolls.

What is Shincheonji? Lee founded Shincheonji in South Korea in 1984 after involvement in several other cults. The group uses several names, including Shincheonji Church of Jesus Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony and New Heaven & New Earth Church. The group uses Christian concepts and the Bible, but denies the existence of the Trinity, as well as Jesus’ deity, and teaches that Christians misunderstand the Bible and have no part in God’s redemptive plan. Shincheonji teachings also say that Lee is a prophet in whom the spirit of Jesus dwells. The group also says Lee bears witness to the fulfillment of end times prophecies.

While it’s unclear how many members the group has worldwide, its last official member count in 2019 totaled over 239,000. Independent surveys estimate the group has roughly 61,000 adherents outside South Korea, with many more in its home country. Shincheonji became unpopular in South Korea after its members were blamed for a mass COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

Dig deeper: Read my feature story on Shincheonji’s deceptive recruiting tactics.