An instance of unfair detention based on presumed guilt. Human Rights Without Frontiers calls for Seoul to free him.
For a month, Chairman Lee (Lee Man Hee, born in 1931), the founder and spiritual head of the Shincheonji Church, has been in pretrial detention since his arrest on June 24, 2026, making him possibly the oldest prisoner in the world, despite not being found guilty of any crime.
This is occurring not in a totalitarian or dictatorial nation, but in a democratic country: South Korea.
Why was he imprisoned? He hasn’t committed murder, engaged in violence, incited violence, been involved in drug trafficking or money laundering, suspected of sexual abuse or rape, fraudulently enriched himself, or been investigated for tax evasion…
A month ago, a Seoul court issued an arrest warrant following a court hearing, and he was detained on allegations of influencing political party membership and elections. Specifically, he is accused of directing followers to join the conservative People Power Party, allegedly violating the Political Parties Act.
The alleged crime is a supposed breach of the separation of religion and state principle, and he was detained over concerns of possible evidence destruction or escape. At his age? Chairman Lee denies wrongdoing and his lawyers have appealed the pretrial detention decision.
Center where Chairman Lee is in pretrial detention
Judicial harassment and media campaign against Chairman Lee. What’s behind it?
Over recent years, there have been two attempts to legally remove the Shincheonji Church’s leader, but the Supreme Court declared Chairman Lee innocent of fabricated charges each time.
It began with COVID in 2019, when the Shincheonji Church was accused of hosting a meeting that allegedly introduced the pandemic to the country. A significant media campaign vilified Shincheonji for months and years in South Korea.
This intensified already severe misconceptions about Shincheonji, prevalent in South Korea, resulting in discrimination against members labeled as a “cult,” including assaults, ridicule, and employment dismissals.
On August 11, 2022, the Korean Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit based on alleged deceptive evangelism, ruling Shincheonji’s missionary activities legal, overturning a lower court’s decision.
On August 12, 2022, the Supreme Court of Korea declared Shincheonji not guilty of violating health regulations on COVID-19. This crucial decision went unreported outside South Korea.
In Europe, media outlets repeat unfounded accusations while ignoring Supreme Court decisions clearing Chairman Lee. Whether from laziness, ignorance, or sensationalism, this contributes to unfounded suspicions about Shincheonji Churches in Europe, damaging their reputation despite non-involvement in events in South Korea, occasionally affecting relationships with institutions and banks. (*)
Media reports in Europe have also negatively impacted family relationships of some Shincheonji converts, causing lasting disruptions.
The question remains: what drives this church’s harassment in South Korea and the 95-year-old leader’s detention? Two factors explain it: controversial Presbyterian pastors and the current political party in power.
The conflict between radical Presbyterian pastors and the Shincheonji Church
Korean Presbyterianism began in Korea in the early 1880s through Scottish Presbyterian missionaries’ efforts.
In the 20th century, under Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945), the Church faced its greatest crisis. Until the late 1930s, it was divided on issues like loyalty to the Japanese emperor, participating in imperial ceremonies, and Shinto shrine worship. Many pastors refusing to “collaborate” were imprisoned, tortured, and killed. Others, under coercion, participated in shrine ceremonies to avoid losing worship places, pastor imprisonment, and church destruction.
Presbyterian pastors are now divided on different lines: to what extent can they accept religious diversity? Shincheonji’s theology challenges them.
There is competition and conflict between Presbyterianism and the Shincheonji Church.
Shincheonji Church, a Christian movement, was founded in South Korea in 1984 by Chairman LEE
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