Escort convoy and court perks: Shincheonji founder faces new criticism
Lee Man-hee, the 93-year-old founder and leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, is facing criticism after a local TV station revealed that he used personal security staff to control traffic and allegedly received preferential treatment during court-ordered education sessions.
According to an exclusive report by JTBC on Thursday, Lee organized a private convoy unit known as the 'Volunteer Traffic Department,' enlisting male Shincheonji members with strong driving skills to escort his vehicle using motorcycles. The exact period during which this operation took place was not disclosed.
The convoy members, despite having no legal authority, blocked civilian vehicles from passing. On one occasion, they stopped an oncoming car to allow Lee's car to make a U-turn. The motorcycles were equipped with red and blue sirens, causing ordinary citizens to believe high-ranking government officials were passing by, a Shincheonji insider told JTBC.
Under Article 39 of the country's Road Traffic Act, only emergency vehicles, including police cars and ambulances, are permitted to use sirens. Violators may face a fine of up to 3 million won ($2,211).
The report said Lee, after experiencing police escort services during a visit to the Philippines in 2016, decided to form his own private convoy team here.
His attempts to receive special treatment continued even during mandatory education sessions imposed by the court for convicted offenders, JTBC reported.
In August 2022, the controversial head of the messianic religious sect was handed a three-year prison term, suspended for five years, after being convicted of embezzlement and obstruction of business.
He was found to have misappropriated over 5 billion won in church funds while building Shincheonji's training center, known as "Palace of Peace," in 2014, and to have held religious events in public venues without approval from local governments between 2015 and 2019.
The court found him not guilty of conspiring with church officials to downplay the number of members and worship locations reported to health authorities during February 2020, when COVID-19 spread rapidly among the church's followers.
At the time, the court ordered him to complete 80 hours of "legal compliance education," which typically requires offenders to gather in a classroom at the Legal Compliance Support Center, operated by the Crime Prevention Policy Bureau under the Ministry of Justice. There, offenders attend lectures by legal experts, take online courses or engage in group discussions, officials said.
However, Lee allegedly received all 16 sessions of the education one-on-one in a separate room, with each session conducted not by a professional instructor but by a staff member at the Legal Compliance Support Center. He even had a foldable bed set up in the room, the insider said.
Regarding allegations of special treatment for Lee during the sessions, the Justice Ministry told JTBC that he had health issues and that there were concerns someone with a personal connection to him might attempt to harm him during the program.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
15 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Police forming team to prevent abuse against families of tragedy victims: report
The South Korean police are forming a task force to prevent secondary victimization of people whose family members have died in disasters, in response to President Lee Jae Myung's directive. According to the Yonhap News Agency on Thursday, the National Police Agency has started recruitment of officers for the unit, tentatively named "investigative team against secondary victimization." The team will be headed by two superintendent-level officers — mid-level management position usually in charge of department at police stations. The National Office of Investigation will evaluate the applicants and, if none is deemed fit to carry out the role, will commandeer officers with sufficient experience in investigation and planning. Last Wednesday, Lee invited 200 family members of victims of tragedies with mass casualties, including the Jeju Air crash last year, an underground tunnel flooding in 2023, the deadly crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul in 2022, and the sinking of ferry Sewol in 2014. He issued an official apology as the president, and pledged to form an investigative team to prevent secondary damage for bereaved families and survivors. The presidential office said last Thursday that Lee has ordered officials to compose a joint team of police and prosecutors to closely probe the Itaewon tragedy, while instructing a permanent team to prevent abuse of the victims' families.
Korea Herald
17 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Video of migrant worker tied to forklift sparks outrage in Korea
President Lee Jae Myung calls the incident 'unacceptable' on social media, urges investigation A video showing a Sri Lankan man tied to a forklift being lifted off the ground in a brick factory at Naju, South Jeolla Province, sparked public outrage in South Korea on Thursday. The short clip, filmed earlier in July and released by a migrant worker's human rights network based in South Jeolla Province on Thursday, shows the man bound with vinyl wrap while a forklift hoists and transports him. Laughter can be heard in the background; no one is seen attempting to intervene. According to the group, although it was not captured on video, one person scolded the victim, saying, 'You should say sorry.' The victim, a Sri Lankan man in his 30s, is reportedly suffering from psychological trauma following the incident. 'The worker's basic dignity as a human being was completely disregarded,' the civic group said during a press conference Thursday morning. 'This is a dehumanizing act that treats a migrant worker as a tool, not a person.' The group urged authorities to launch a full investigation and hold the perpetrators accountable. President Lee Jae Myung condemned the video on social media, calling for a thorough investigation. "I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the video,' Lee said in the Facebook post. 'It is hard to accept that such an incident occurred in a country known as a global cultural powerhouse and a model democracy. This is an intolerable act of violence against a vulnerable minority and a blatant violation of human rights." He continued, "The way we treat those who are powerless and in difficult circumstances reflects the true dignity of our society." Lee vowed that the government, including the Ministry of Employment and Labor, would respond actively to ensure that no human rights violations or labor exploitation occur by taking advantage of workers' visa status.
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Korea Herald
All of President Lee's criminal trials now suspended
All five criminal trials against South Korean President Lee Jae-myung have now been put on hold, following the suspension of proceedings in his case concerning alleged illegal remittances to North Korea — the last remaining active case. The Suwon District Court on Tuesday announced the postponement of the trial, which involves President Lee, former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young, and Kim Seong-tae, former chairman of the underwear conglomerate Ssangbangwool Group. "The defendant currently serves as the president and holds the status of head of state, representing the country," the court stated during a preparatory hearing. "The hearing date will be deferred to allow him to focus on his constitutionally mandated duties and ensure continuity of governance." Article 84 of the Constitution stipulates that "The President shall not be charged with a criminal offense during his tenure of office except for insurrection or treason." President Lee was indicted without detention by prosecutors in June last year. Prosecutors allege that, in his capacity as Gyeonggi governor, Lee — along with then–Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young — instructed Kim to pay $5 million to North Korea on behalf of Gyeonggi Province for a smart farm project, as well as an additional $3 million to support Lee's planned visit to North Korea between January 2019 and January 2020. President Lee faces five separate criminal indictments, all filed before his victory in the early presidential election on June 3. The three trials — a retrial over alleged election law violations, a land development scandal in the city of Seongnam, and alleged misuse of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office's corporate credit card — had already been postponed by the courts following the June 3 election. Another trial concerning allegations of suborning perjury has been effectively on hold, with no hearing scheduled since May 12, and remains in the appellate stage.
