'Forced to join People Power Party' allegations: Lee Man-hee trial shows signs of dragging on ... “There was no coercion”

[Financial News] Lee Man-hee, leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, and seven other executives, including former General Assembly secretary-general Go Dong-an, who were additionally indicted on charges of forcing followers to join a political party to influence People Power Party presidential and parliamentary election primaries, denied the charges at their first trial. They have denied the allegations in full, and the dispute over whether coercion occurred is expected to drag on. With the trial schedule also delayed, a verdict is expected to take time.
The Seoul Central District Court’s 27th Criminal Division, presided over by Judge Woo In-seong, held the first hearing on the 2nd in the case against eight current and former Shincheonji executives, including Lee and former secretary-general Go, who face charges including violating the Political Parties Act and obstruction of business.
Lee’s side acknowledged that followers had joined the party but maintained its longstanding position that there had been no coercion. His lawyer argued, “The key issue in determining guilt or innocence in this case is whether there was coercion in the actual enrollment of party members,” adding, “The followers joined of their own free will.”
Lee is accused of forcing followers to join a particular political party and obstructing party activities ahead of the 2022 8th Nationwide Simultaneous Local Elections, the 2023 People Power Party leadership primary, and the 2024 22nd National Assembly election. In particular, he is accused of encouraging followers to join the People Power Party through an initiative known as the “Pilates” project in 2023.
Earlier, the Joint Police-Prosecution Investigation Headquarters for Corruption Involving Religious-Political Collusion first indicted Lee in June in connection with allegations that he forced people to join a party in July 2021, as the statute of limitations was nearing expiration. After further investigation, it additionally indicted Lee and seven current and former executives in July in a separate case.
Lawyers for the other defendants also said they did not concede that any coercion had taken place.
The trial schedule for determining whether followers were forced to join the party is expected to continue into next year. The court said, “There are many cases that must be concluded by the end of the year, making it difficult to proceed,” and explained, “Witness examinations will get underway in earnest from March.” All hearings originally scheduled for next month were canceled, and the trial is expected to resume in January next year.
There are eight defendants following the additional indictments, and the defense estimated at the previous pretrial hearing that there would be some 190 witnesses alone. The court said it is also considering measures such as holding hearings every week starting in March next year.
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