20 New Disciples in February Submit Complaint for "Physical Contact"
The police conducted a search and seizure of the religious facility of Heo Kyung-young, Honorary Representative of the National Revolutionary Party, who was accused of sexual harassment by his followers.
On the 15th, the Women's and Youth Investigation Unit of the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency announced that they conducted a search and seizure of the religious facility 'Haneulgung' in Jangheung-myeon, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi Province, and a lecture hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, in the morning. Earlier in February, about 20 followers of Representative Heo filed a complaint with the police, claiming that Heo had touched the bodies of female followers, and Heo is facing charges of sexual harassment in a crowded public place.
The view of Haneulgung located in Jangheung-myeon, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi Province. [Photo by Yonhap News]
In response to the sexual harassment controversy, Heo's side stated, "This is completely untrue," and explained, "During the consultation process, consent was obtained from the parties involved, and spiritual energy was given." A police official said, "The search and seizure were conducted to secure evidence," adding, "We plan to investigate the charges through the evidence materials."
This is not the first time Heo has been accused of sexual harassment. In March 2022, there were allegations that Heo sexually harassed and assaulted a woman under the pretext of healing her ailments. At that time, JTBC reported that a woman in her 20s with cerebral palsy paid 100,000 won to receive 'energy treatment' and was assaulted and sexually harassed during the process. The National Revolutionary Party denied the allegations, stating, "(Heo) is truly a holy person. He possesses spiritual energy and the power of the word, which grants him supernatural abilities."
Honorary Representative Heo Kyung-young of the National Revolutionary Party held a presidential election candidacy declaration ceremony and performed in front of the Daechupmun Gate at Haengju Fortress in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province on August 18, 2021. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Meanwhile, Heo ran as a proportional representation candidate in the April 10 general election but was unsuccessful. He made headlines for reporting an increase in his assets by more than 40 billion won over three years. During the final candidate registration process on the 25th of last month at the National Election Commission, candidate Heo Kyung-young reported assets totaling 48.158486 billion won, the highest among 253 proportional representation candidates.
This is the largest amount of assets held among 253 proportional representation candidates from 38 parties, more than five times that of the second-place candidate, Lee Gi-nam of the Hashtag People's Policy Party (8.868881 billion won). In the April 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, Heo's assets were 7.26224 billion won. Therefore, his assets increased by approximately 40.9 billion won in three years. Heo has often been an issue due to his rapidly increasing assets during various election campaigns. When he ran for president in 2022, he reported assets of about 26.4 billion won, which was an increase of 19.1 billion won in just one year.
Looking at Heo's asset list, he owns tens of thousands of pyeong of land in Jangheung-myeon, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi Province, valued at about 25.8 billion won. In addition, he owns buildings worth about 25.1 billion won, including Haneulgung in Jangheung-myeon, Yangju-si, commercial properties in the Piccadilly Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and the National Revolutionary Party office in Yeouido, Seoul. The largest portion of his assets is unlisted stocks. He reported the value of unlisted stocks he owns in companies such as 'Haneulgung Co., Ltd.' and 'Interreligious Haneulgung Co., Ltd.' at approximately 55.1 billion won.
The National Revolutionary Party failed to secure seats in this general election, receiving a total of 67,420 votes and a vote share of 0.23%.
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