Attempt to Secure Party Membership Lists of Shincheonji Followers
The joint police-prosecution investigation team, which is investigating alleged collusion between the Unification Church, Shincheonji, and political parties, has launched a compulsory investigation into the People Power Party over suspicions of Shincheonji members joining the party as members.
Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, announced party reform plans and other measures at an emergency press conference held at the party's central office in Yeouido, Seoul, on January 7, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
On the morning of February 27, the investigation team conducted a search and seizure at the People Power Party’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, to secure the party membership lists and related documents. The search also included companies commissioned to manage the People Power Party’s membership lists.
There are allegations that Shincheonji instructed its followers to join the People Power Party and other parties as members in large numbers to help specific candidates win various elections around 2020.
During its investigation of former Shincheonji executives, the team reportedly obtained statements indicating that Shincheonji, under a project called the "Pilates Project," encouraged its members to become responsible party members of the People Power Party, resulting in tens of thousands of followers joining the party as responsible members.
It has also been reported that the investigation team obtained testimony stating that Shincheonji leaders encouraged membership enrollment by saying, "We must repay Yoon Suk Yeol." Previously, in March 2020, the police applied for a search and seizure warrant for the Shincheonji Daegu Church, which was identified as the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, but the prosecution rejected the request twice. At that time, the Prosecutor General was former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
As a result, the investigation team is pursuing charges of violating the Political Parties Act and obstruction of business, on the grounds that Shincheonji interfered with the People Power Party’s normal party member management and internal election decision-making processes.
In connection with this, last month, authorities also conducted search and seizure operations at the Shincheonji headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, and the Peace Training Center (Palace of Peace) in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province.
Shincheonji maintains that all allegations regarding political party membership and involvement in party primaries are unfounded. In a statement, Shincheonji said, "We are willing to provide the member list with the consent of our congregants," and added, "We call for a simultaneous joint investigation of the membership lists of each party, including the Democratic Party and the People Power Party, along with our member list."
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