Lee Man-hee, 94, founder of the South Korean “cult” Shincheonji and self-proclaimed messiah, was arrested in Seoul on 24 June 2026 for directing 56,472 church members to enroll as responsible members of the People Power Party (PPP) between 2021 and 2024, in exchange for favorable treatment from the government — specifically, building permits for church facilities, according to the Seoul Economic Daily published on 24 June 2026. Lee was already on probation from a 2021 embezzlement conviction tied to his church’s handling of COVID-19 contact-tracing data. On 28 June, a court rejected his petition for release. He remains in custody.
The only man to have received the revelation
Shincheonji — Korean for “new heaven and new earth” (신천지) — was founded on 14 March 1984 by Lee Man-hee in the Seoul metropolitan area. Born on 15 September 1931 in Cheongdo County, North Gyeongsang Province, under the Japanese occupation of Korea, Lee had previously belonged to two Korean Protestant movements: the Olive Tree and the Tabernacle Temple (장막성전). His first arrest dates to that period: he was charged with defamation for publicly criticizing the leader of the Tabernacle Temple, which he subsequently left to found his own organization.
Shincheonji’s doctrine rests on a single claim: Lee Man-hee is the only human being to have received the complete and correct revelation of the Book of Revelation. According to the church’s teachings, certain events described in Revelation have already taken place in South Korea. Those who do not belong to Shincheonji will be “denied grace and destroyed” at the Last Judgment. His followers regard him as immortal and infallible.
The organization’s structure reflects the theology. Teachings flow downward from Lee to a chief secretary, then to regional branch leaders, local pastors, and finally to men’s, women’s, and youth associations. Each level transmits without modifying. The organization claims approximately 200,000 members worldwide.
COVID and the missing list
On 18 February 2020, a 61-year-old woman — known to health authorities as “Patient 31” — attended multiple Shincheonji services in Daegu despite active symptoms. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined that the church’s gathering practices — members seated in tight rows, extended services — had contributed to rapid spread of the virus among the congregation. Lee Man-hee described the pandemic as “a deed of the devil to stop the growth of the sect,” according to CNN published on 22 February 2020. By summer 2020, more than 5,200 COVID-19 cases — 36 percent of South Korea’s total at that point — had been linked to Shincheonji by health authorities.
“We have filed a criminal complaint seeking an investigation into Lee Man-hee and 12 others connected to the sect on charges of murder,” said Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, according to Reuters published on 2 March 2020. The complaint cited their refusal to hand over membership lists to contact tracers, on grounds of member privacy.
Lee was arrested on 31 July 2020. In January 2021, the Suwon District Court acquitted him on charges of violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. He was convicted, however, of embezzling 5.6 billion won (approximately $4.7 million USD) and obstruction of public affairs, and sentenced to three years in prison. He was released on a four-year probationary term.
Operation Pilates
Six months after his conviction, Lee Man-hee launched what investigators have named “Operation Pilates” (필라테스 작전). Between July and September 2021, more than 50,000 Shincheonji members were enrolled as responsible members of the PPP, according to the Seoul Economic Daily published on 24 June 2026. The objective was to influence the party’s internal presidential primary, then dominated by Yoon Suk-yeol’s candidacy. In 2024, ahead of the 22nd National Assembly elections, an additional 10,000 members were enrolled. Investigators put the total at 56,472 followers.
The orders followed the same chain used to transmit theological instruction: from Lee to his chief secretary, then to branch leaders, pastors, and associations. In exchange, Shincheonji expected favorable treatment from a PPP government — chiefly, building permits for church facilities.
Charges: violation of the Political Parties Act and obstruction of public affairs.
A widening investigation
In January 2026, a joint police-prosecution task force was established to examine what Korean media have called “정교유착” — religion-politics collusion. The investigation also covers the Unification Church, whose leadership has faced separate judicial proceedings over alleged embezzlement since the death of founder Moon Sun-myung, as NNW reported in May 2026.
On 4 June 2026, Lee Man-hee was summoned by investigators and questioned for seven hours. On 22 June, authorities requested an arrest warrant. On 24 June, after a three-hour hearing, the warrant was granted.
A habeas corpus petition denied
On 26 June 2026, Lee Man-hee filed a petition for 구속적부심, a legal mechanism in South Korean law that allows a detained suspect to challenge their continued custody before a judge. In the petition, Lee cited his “advanced age of 95 years” and his health, according to SBS News published on 25 June 2026.
On 28 June 2026, at 6:25 p.m. Seoul time, Judge Park Chan-beom issued his ruling, as reported by Financial News on 28 June 2026.
“There is no reason for this petition.” — Judge Park Chan-beom, Seoul, 28 June 2026.
