Bae Hyunjin Criticizes Hong Joonpyo: "Now Exposing Shincheonji... Pathetic Remarks"

Shincheonji Controversy Criticized Head-On
Bae Hyunjin, Once Known as a "Hong Joonpyo Kid"

Representative Bae Hyunjin of the People Power Party criticized the controversy within the party regarding the admission of Shincheonji Church members ahead of the party convention. On the 28th, Bae wrote on social media, "The party is in disarray due to stories about pseudo-Christian groups dreaming of political power," and added, "There are self-proclaimed Christian candidates who shamelessly seek support, saying, 'Party membership is a free choice, so why screen applicants?' in hopes of receiving collective help from these groups."

Hyeonjin Bae, member of the People Power Party. Hyeonjin Bae Facebook

Bae continued, "The public is watching with dismay as cunning individuals, who remained silent for years out of self-interest, are now fervently engaging in expos?s and slander," emphasizing, "Although the People Power Party has already suffered many wounds, party members still hope it will recover as an 'assembly of people with normal thinking' that meets the public's expectations. Those who are now stepping forward (the party convention candidates) must not forget these sentiments."

The "candidates shamelessly seeking support" is interpreted as referring to Representative Jang Donghyuk, who is running in the current party convention, while the "cunning soul" is believed to refer to former Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo, who exposed the alleged involvement of Shincheonji. The previous day, Representative Jang appeared on BBS Radio's "Kim Taeseop's Morning Journal" and argued, "They are also citizens of the Republic of Korea. They have the right to engage in political activities," insisting that Shincheonji membership should not be an issue. On July 26, former Mayor Hong recounted a past meeting with Shincheonji leader Lee Manhee, claiming, "He said that about 100,000 Shincheonji members joined the People Power Party as responsible members to support candidate Yoon Sukyeol."

Shincheonji: "Reports of People Power Party membership lists are completely false... Do not exploit this politically"

As the controversy grows following Hong's claims, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji Church), on the 28th, refuted the CBS NoCut News report on the "alleged Shincheonji People Power Party membership list," stating it was untrue and announced plans for legal action. Previously, NoCut News reported that it had obtained an Excel file, believed to have been leaked from the Shincheonji Daejeon Mattia Tribe, which included the names of 667 Shincheonji members presumed to have joined the People Power Party as responsible members in 2021. Based on this, the report raised the possibility that Shincheonji Church was involved in the party membership process.

Shincheonji Church responded, "The list in question is a 2019 roster of youth members from the Daejeon Church and is entirely unrelated to any general election or party activities." The church further explained, "The person who managed the list changed the file name and manipulated its contents after leaving the church, then leaked it externally. Legal action has already been taken against this individual." The church stated, "Reporting anonymous posts of unclear origin without fact-checking and framing it as 'political intervention' is a classic example of malicious false reporting," and warned, "We will take strong legal action against this false and distorted report and any articles citing it."

Assemblywoman Hyeonjin Bae entered the political arena in the past as a pro-Hong faction figure. Former Mayor Joonpyo Hong recruited Assemblywoman Bae in 2018 when he was the leader of the Liberty Korea Party, the predecessor of the People Power Party. Asia Economy

The NoCut News report followed former Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo's claim on his social media on July 26 that "During the 2021 presidential primary, I heard directly from a Shincheonji representative that about 100,000 Shincheonji members joined the People Power Party to support candidate Yoon Sukyeol." Some in the political sphere are raising suspicions about the possibility of organized party membership by Shincheonji members. However, the People Power Party has denied such claims, stating, "There is no such fact." The Democratic Party is escalating its response by calling for a prosecutorial investigation based on Hong's allegations. Meanwhile, on the same day, former Mayor Hong also wrote on social media, "Tens of thousands of responsible members from a religious group with impure motives are infiltrating the People Power Party's central office via the internet," and insisted, "The opposition party can only survive by escaping from pseudo-conservatism."