Ruling Party Reviews Findings of Probe into ‘Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji)’ Allegations ... Pro-Kim Min-seok Faction: “Serious Interference” vs. Pro-Jung Cheong-rae Faction: “Baseless and Hollow”

[Financial News] Confidential reviews have begun of the Democratic Party’s own investigation into allegations that Shincheonji members joined the party en masse. Reactions among party factions that have examined the findings have sharply diverged, and tensions continue.
From the 6th through the 13th, the Democratic Party is allowing lawmakers and regional committee chairs from outside the National Assembly to review the findings of its investigation into the Shincheonji allegations in the party secretary-general’s office. The materials reportedly include figures from a comparison of Shincheonji’s membership roster and the Democratic Party’s roster—about 10,000 people, including roughly 8,000 party members with voting rights—as well as testimony from people involved. The findings were initially due to be presented at a lawmakers’ general meeting, but the format was changed to confidential individual reviews amid concerns that this could exacerbate internal divisions.
Figures from the pro-Lee Jae-myung leadership faction and the pro-Kim Min-seok faction who reviewed the materials stressed the seriousness of the situation and the need for institutional reforms. After reviewing them, spokesperson Jo Gye-won said, “A considerable amount of material was collected, and there were some quite meaningful figures. The situation in South Jeolla, Gwangju and North Jeolla was somewhat serious.” He added, “We need to put firm safeguards in place to prevent pseudo-religious organizations from interfering in political parties’ democratic decision-making and electoral processes.”
By contrast, lawmakers from the pro-Jung Cheong-rae faction collectively dismissed the findings as a “nothingburger,” saying they fell far short of proving interference in the party convention and other such allegations.
Supreme Council member Choi Min-hee said, “There was absolutely no evidence for the so-called ‘secret three-way alliance of anti-Lee forces, divisive elements and Shincheonji’ that Kim Min-seok mentioned,” adding, “There is no problem at all with making these figures public.” Supreme Council member Han Min-su likewise said, “We were unable to establish at all when, who or how anyone infiltrated the Democratic Party and systematically interfered in the party convention.” He warned that the figures would be disclosed in full if the mainstream faction continued to raise the allegations. Lawmaker Lim Oh-kyung and Lee Ji-eun, regional committee chair for Mapo-gap, also voiced their displeasure, calling the materials “so unrelated to the party convention they’re laughable” and “so insubstantial that even requesting an investigation would turn up nothing.”
Although party leader Kim Min-seok has repeatedly apologized and sought to defuse the dispute, tensions between the two camps have hardly eased. Supreme Council member Lee Seong-yun of the pro-Jung faction criticized the mainstream faction for portraying Kim’s apology as a “decisive act,” calling it “a second victimization of party members who have been hurt.” Jung Cheong-rae, the former party leader at the center of the controversy, also called for transparency in a social media post, saying, “This isn’t an issue for a few lawmakers to settle through a backroom deal.”
As factional divisions within the party over the Shincheonji controversy persist, senior lawmakers voiced concern. Lawmaker Park Jie-won urged, “We can’t burn down the thatched-roof house to catch a flea. We must put the party before ourselves.” Lawmaker Jung Sung-ho also asked, “Should the ruling party, which is responsible for people’s livelihoods, be fighting among itself over this issue?” He urged the party leadership to resolve their differences promptly.
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