Shincheonji Members' Mass Party Enrollment Under Investigation Ahead of Local Elections

South Korean authorities are investigating suspicions that dozens of members from the Shincheonji religious group joined the Democratic Party in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, shortly before the June 3 local elections.

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The person who worked with me in February seems to have known people in Shincheonji.

The joint investigation team of prosecutors and police has reportedly uncovered evidence suggesting that 30 to 40 Shincheonji followers from the group's Simon branch joined the Democratic Party's Goyang chapter. Investigators suspect the group attempted to exert political influence by supporting the nomination of a specific preliminary candidate.

As part of the probe, a former preliminary candidate for the Goyang mayoral election was questioned as a witness late last month. This individual had withdrawn their candidacy in March after initially running in the February party primaries. The former candidate told Dong-A Ilbo that someone who worked with them in February appeared to know people within Shincheonji, but they denied any personal knowledge of the religious group's involvement.

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The relevant content is not something the denomination is aware of or has grasped at all.

Shincheonji's headquarters has denied any awareness of the situation, stating that any claims of their involvement based on individual members joining a political party infringe upon religious freedom. The group previously issued a statement asserting that individual party memberships do not equate to organizational intervention.

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Claiming 'Shincheonji intervention' simply because individual Shincheonji members exist as party members is a serious infringement of the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution.