South Koreas Prosecution Of Religious Leader Draws International Alarm
The story
International criticism is mounting over the detention and prosecution of Chairman Lee Man-hee, the 95-year-old leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and over recent public remarks by South Korea's Minister of Justice, Jeong Seong-ho.
On June 30, Minister Jeong announced on his social media account that Chairman Lee had been indicted while in detention, writing that “strict criminal punishment corresponding to its responsibility is inevitable.” He closed the post by quoting Matthew 7:15: “Beware of false prophets.” Shincheonji Church of Jesus is a Christian denomination founded in South Korea in 1984.
Details
Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho posted "strict criminal punishment is inevitable" on the day of indictment, closing with Matthew 7:15. Dr. Introvigne called it prejudging the outcome before trial.
Dr. Massimo Introvigne, an Italian sociologist of religion, has published two articles in the religious-freedom and human-rights outlet Bitter Winter addressing this situation: the first on June 24, 2026, criticizing the detention of Chairman Lee at the time of his arrest; and a second on July 2, 2026, raising detailed criticism of Minister Jeong’s public remarks.
Chairman Lee was taken into custody on June 24 on charges including violation of the Political Parties Act, and was formally indicted while still in detention on June 30. Investigators allege that between July 2021 and January 2024, Lee organized the enrollment of roughly 50,000 Shincheonji members into the People Power Party (PPP) in an effort to influence the party's presidential and parliamentary primaries.
Dr. Introvigne argued that placing an elderly religious leader in detention over a case that does not involve violence or other serious crimes falls short of the proportionality standards required under the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the “Mandela Rules”) and the principles articulated by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Sociologist Dr. Massimo Introvigne, writing in Bitter Winter, described the situation as "a stain on South Korea's democratic credentials."
He linked the case to that of Han Hak-ja, the 83-year-old leader of the Unification Church (the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification), who was being held in a separate case, warning that “this is not an issue confined to a single religious group -- a pattern is emerging in which physical detention is repeatedly used against elderly religious leaders.”
Why it matters
This is a public-interest story for readers because it touches institutions, communities, policy decisions, or services that affect daily life. Mods99 News will continue updating the article if more verified details become available.