Faiths Caught in Expanding Political Crackdown

South Korea expands probe into alleged coordinated political collusion by faiths, targeting their claimed benchmarking of tactics

The major South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo published 8^th January an article by reporter Yu hee-gon (유희곤) with the headline “[Exclusive] Did the Unification Church and Shincheonji Benchmark Each Other? Prosecutors and Police to Investigate Both Religions”.

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In early January 2026, South Korean authorities announced a significant expansion of an ongoing investigation into the intersection of religion and politics. What began as a probe into the Family Federation (formerly the Unification Church) ‒ an internationally known Korean-founded religious movement ‒ has now widened to include Shincheonji (신천지) [See editor’s note below], another new religious group founded in South Korea. The move has become one of the top media stories in the country claiming that certain religious organizations may have systematically attempted to influence national elections, political parties, and lawmakers through coordinated membership drives, financial lobbying, and informal networks of power.

For Western audiences, the story requires some background. South Korea has a vibrant religious landscape that includes not only mainstream Christianity and Buddhism but also a number of homegrown “new religious movements”. According to the Chosun Ilbo, “two of South Korea’s most representative new religious movements” are the Family Federation ‒ led by its co-founder Hak Ja Han (한학자 ‒ 82) ‒ and Shincheonji [See editor’s note below], led by its founder and chairman, Lee Man-hee (이만희 ‒ 95). Both groups have become subjects of extensive probes by special prosecutors appointed by the current Lee administration in order to investigate alleged unlawful acts by the former Yoon administration and groups claimed to have supported him.

The current investigation is being led by a joint task force of prosecutors and police, formed to examine allegations of “politics-religion collusion”. Authorities say they are looking into whether these groups provided unlawful funds or favors to politicians, and whether they organized their followers to join political parties en masse in order to sway internal party primaries. Such practices, while not always illegal on their face, may violate election laws or political finance regulations if carried out in a coordinated and deceptive manner.

A key theme emerging from the current investigation is the apparent parallel — and possible mutual imitation — between the Family Federation and Shincheonji [See editor’s note below]. According to investigative reporting by Chosun Ilbo, South Korea’s largest conservative newspaper, Shincheonji’s leadership long viewed the Family Federation as a “success model” among new religions: a group that grew from a fringe movement into a global organization with political access, financial resources, and international influence. At the same time, the Family Federation is now accused of having adopted tactics similar to those Shincheonji [See editor’s note below] was previously suspected of using, particularly in relation to election interference.

The Chosun Ilbo writes that this overlap is documented in internal Family Federation materials known as the “TM (True Mother) Reports”, thousands of pages of reports compiled by senior Federation officials for Chairwoman Hak Ja Han (한학자). In these documents, according to the large daily, Shincheonji [See editor’s note below] is mentioned dozens of times, often as a point of comparison or competition. One report explicitly notes that Shincheonji had been “benchmarking” the Family Federation. The report also suggests that internal turmoil within Shincheonji [See editor’s note below] ‒ particularly the defection of a high-ranking female leader ‒ represented a critical turning point for the group.

That former Shincheonji leader, Kim Nam-hee (김남희), plays an important role in the broader narrative. Once regarded as second only to Lee Man-hee (이만희), Kim left the organization in 2017 and later became a vocal critic, accusing Shincheonji’s leadership of financial misconduct and abuse of power. Her allegations contributed to criminal complaints against Lee, who was eventually convicted ‒ though on narrower charges than initially alleged ‒ related to embezzlement and obstruction of public health efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The political dimension of Shincheonji’s activities has been controversial for more than a decade. Critics allege that the group systematically encouraged its members to join conservative political parties under false pretenses, then vote as a bloc in party primaries. The goal, according to these claims, was not ideological alignment but strategic influence: ensuring that candidates perceived as friendly or non-hostile to the group would advance. Similar allegations surfaced during the elections that brought former Presidents Lee Myung-bak (이명박) and Park Geun-hye (박근혜) to power, though investigations at the time did not result in major prosecutions.

These accusations resurfaced with renewed force during the 2022 presidential election. Shincheonji [See editor’s note below] is suspected of having mobilized large numbers of members to join the conservative People Power Party ahead of its internal primary. One losing candidate later alleged that as many as 100,000 Shincheonji followers became voting party members as part of an informal quid pro quo involving prosecutorial leniency toward the group. While these claims remain contested, they have placed Shincheonji back under official scrutiny for the first time in several years.

The Family Federation, meanwhile, faces its own legal troubles, largely stemming from the years that Yoon Yeong-ho (윤영호) held a key leadership position. Prosecutors allege that Federation officials provided unlawful political funding and organizational support to the conservative presidential campaign in 2022.

Unlike earlier Shincheonji cases [See editor’s note below], these allegations have already resulted in indictments, and court proceedings are ongoing. The irony, highlighted by Chosun Ilbo, is that in the realm of political intervention, Shincheonji appears to have pioneered certain methods before Yoon Yeong-ho of the Family Federation later adopted similar approaches ‒ raising questions about whether the “benchmarking” may have run in both directions.

The political fallout has been immediate. As police recently uncovered evidence suggesting the Family Federation also lobbied lawmakers from the liberal Democratic Party, President Lee Jae-myung (이재명) ordered the creation of a broader joint investigative task force that includes Shincheonji [See editor’s note below]. Opposition parties, however, argue that expanding the probe is a strategic distraction ‒ an attempt to dilute scrutiny of alleged lobbying involving ruling-party figures by lumping multiple religious organizations together. They are calling for an independent special prosecutor to ensure political neutrality.

What is already clear, however, is that the huge investigation with hundreds of investigators and police involved has implications that extend well beyond any single religious organization. More churches have been raided by police and are under investigation. Pastor Son Hyun-bo (손현보), the head of a large Christian megachurch, has been held in detention since early September, in the same detention center where Hak Ja Han, the co-founder of the Family Federation, has been detained for more than 100 days in a tiny cell.

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Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: Imitating the Family Federation‘s World Culture and Sports Festival?  On 16^th September 2012, Shinchonji hosted its own World Peace Festival ‒ the 6th Shincheonji National Olympiad in Olympic Stadium in Seoul. Photo: Junganghansik / Wikimedia Commons. License: CC ASA 3.0 Unp

[Editor’s note: Shincheonji, officially known as Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, is a new religious movement founded in South Korea in 1984 by Lee Man-hee, who claims to be the promised pastor mentioned in the Bible’s Book of Revelation. Shincheonji teaches that the Book of Revelation is being fulfilled through its church and that Lee Man-hee has received divine revelation to interpret it.]

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