Detention of 95-Year-Old Religious Leader Sparks International Concern Over South Korea’s Rule of Law

International alarm is growing over South Korea’s detention and prosecution of Lee Man-hee, the 95-year-old leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and recent public statements by Minister of Justice Jeong Seong-ho that critics say undermine religious neutrality and the rule of law.

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.’ According to Dr. Massimo Introvigne, an Italian sociologist of religion writing for Bitter Winter, a public official’s use of a Bible verse that could cast the defendant in a negative light conflicts with the state’s principle of religious neutrality. Because a sitting Minister of Justice’s public statements are likely to be read as the government’s official position, Introvigne argued that such remarks warrant far greater caution.

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) to influence the party’s presidential and parliamentary primaries. Shincheonji Church responded that it ‘fully cooperated with every stage of the investigation, including the search and seizure operations,’ calling the detention ‘in effect a physical punishment imposed on a 95-year-old suspect.’

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 proportionality standards under the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the ‘Mandela Rules’) and principles of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. He linked the case to that of Han Hak-ja, the 83-year-old leader of the Unification Church, who is being held in a separate case, warning that ‘a pattern is emerging in which physical detention is repeatedly used against elderly religious leaders.’

The legal question at the heart of the case is not that members joined a political party, but whether they were coerced. Prosecutors say evidence points to an organized, forced-enrollment campaign, while Shincheonji maintains that members were not compelled by force or directive. Introvigne predicted the trial will hinge on proof of coercion, arguing that ‘these charges risk criminalizing ordinary civic participation simply because the individuals belong to a religious minority.’ He added that ‘Shincheonji members, like any other South Korean citizens, have the right to join a political party and support a candidate.’

Dr. Introvigne said the case is being watched in international religious-freedom circles as a test of ‘whether a democratic state applies the same standards of rule of law and human rights to religious groups that are controversial or classified as minorities.’ He described the situation as ‘a stain on South Korea’s democratic credentials’ and said it is ‘a matter the world should pay attention to.’

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