Main opposition demands probe into suspicious membership of Shincheonji followers in ruling party
Jeong Jeom-sig, center, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks during a press briefing at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday called for a thorough investigation after followers of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a nonmainstream religious sect, were found to have joined the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).
The DPK confirmed the findings following an internal investigation but did not provide further details, including how many Shincheonji members had joined the party.
"We strongly urge the newly established Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA) or the police to swiftly investigate whether (Shincheonji) members joined the Democratic Party of Korea, applying the same standards," PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig said, referring to an earlier police raid of the PPP's headquarters over allegations of Shincheonji followers being forced to join the party.
"Investigators even carried out a search and seizure of our party's membership records in connection with the mass recruitment of Shincheonji members," he added.
A joint prosecution-police investigation team has determined that at least 56,472 church members were forced to join the PPP, with the church's 95-year-old founder Lee Man-hee now standing trial on suspicion of forcing his followers to join the political party in an attempt to influence the outcome of party primaries and nominations ahead of the 2022 presidential election and the 2024 general elections.
The team earlier said it found evidence that suggested Shincheonji followers may also have been forced to join the DPK.
PPP spokesperson Cho Yong-sool called for a thorough investigation, urging a special counsel probe to determine how many Shincheonji members joined the DPK and whether there had been any ties between the religious group and the party.