Where Exactly Is Shincheonji's Lee Man-hee... Will He Make a 'Public Apology' for the COVID-19 Spread?

Rapid Surge of COVID-19 Cases in Daegu Region... Linked to Shincheonji
Shincheonji Leader Lee Man-hee Missing, Avoiding Public Appearance
Park Won-soon Requests Prosecutors to Arrest Lee Man-hee... Yoo Si-min and Others Demand Public Apology from Lee Man-hee
Daegu City Considers Filing Complaint Against Shincheonji Daegu Church

Chairman Lee Man-hee (Founder) of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji)
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As the cumulative number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Daegu alone has exceeded 2,000, calls for a public apology from Lee Man-hee (89), the founder of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji), are mounting.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced on the morning of the 1st at 9 a.m. that 376 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported domestically, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in South Korea to 3,526.

The cumulative number of confirmed cases in Daegu alone has reached 2,569. The government is currently conducting epidemiological investigations, viewing the COVID-19 outbreak in the Daegu area as linked to Shincheonji.

Given this situation, public opinion is growing stronger that Lee Man-hee, the founder of Shincheonji, should issue an official statement including a public apology regarding the spread of COVID-19 in the Daegu region.

However, Lee Man-hee has recently been continuously cooperating with the government through special letters. In particular, Shincheonji claims that they are the biggest victims of COVID-19, which has fueled ongoing controversy.

Amid escalating controversy, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon publicly requested the prosecution to arrest Lee Man-hee. Political circles are also holding Lee Man-hee accountable for the spread of COVID-19 and urging him to apologize to the public.

Nevertheless, Lee Man-hee has not appeared in any official or public settings and remains reclusive.

◆ Lee Man-hee: "I know this disease incident is the work of the devil"

On the early morning of the 25th of last month, Lee Man-hee posted a special letter on the website. In the letter, he stated, "We (Shincheonji) have actively cooperated with the government to prevent and overcome the spread of COVID-19."

He added, "We have actively cooperated with government policies by providing the full list of Shincheonji believers and agreed to conduct a thorough investigation," emphasizing, "Everything will proceed on the premise that the government establishes measures to maintain and secure the personal information of believers."

Lee Man-hee had sent special letters to Shincheonji believers on the 21st and 25th of last month. In the letter on the 21st, he said, "I know this disease incident is the work of the devil who saw the rapid growth of Shincheonji and tried to stop it." In the letter on the 25th, he urged, "Let us be believers who do our best to overcome COVID-19 by actively cooperating with government policies."

On the 29th, Wonju City and the police posted building closure stickers on facilities such as the Shincheonji Church worship halls in Usan-dong and Taejang-dong areas of Wonju City, where COVID-19 confirmed cases occurred.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Among 2,931 domestic COVID-19 patients, 1,557 are linked to Shincheonji

The problem lies in the fact that COVID-19 confirmed cases continue to occur mainly in the Daegu area, and many of the patients are linked to Shincheonji.

Although there are about 1,200 confirmed cases with unknown infection routes, health authorities estimate that a significant number of these cases are also related to the Shincheonji Daegu Church.

On the 29th of last month, Kwon Jun-wook, Deputy Director of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated at a regular briefing held at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in Osong, Chungbuk, "A significant number of cases under investigation in the special management areas for infectious diseases have been confirmed to be linked to the Shincheonji Daegu Church."

As of 9 a.m. that day, among 2,931 domestic COVID-19 patients, 1,557 (53.1%) are classified as cases related to the Shincheonji Daegu Church. Daegu City completed specimen collection from 1,299 symptomatic Shincheonji Daegu Church believers showing symptoms such as fever and cough, confirming 761 positive cases.

Additionally, comparing the list of Shincheonji believers obtained so far by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, it is estimated that there are 1,356 cases related to the Shincheonji Daegu Church in Daegu and 133 cases in the Gyeongbuk region. Health authorities expect the number of related cases to continue increasing for the time being.

Photo by Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, Facebook capture

◆ Where on earth is Lee Man-hee... Calls for public apology

Given the situation, calls for Lee Man-hee to apologize are continuing. In particular, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon publicly requested the prosecution to arrest Lee Man-hee.

On the morning of the 1st, Park posted on his Facebook, "If Chairman Lee does not take necessary measures, Seoul City will file a criminal complaint for murder by indirect intent as previously announced."

He continued, "I request Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol to arrest Chairman Lee, who is responsible for the source of the virus threatening the lives of the people. This is the role the prosecution must fulfill now," raising his voice.

Mayor Park urged, "The situation is so serious and urgent, so where on earth are Chairman Lee and the Shincheonji leadership, who are the core responsible parties for this incident? They must immediately come out from hiding, apologize to the public, undergo COVID-19 testing themselves, and ensure all believers get tested promptly to actively cooperate with health authorities."

Earlier, Song Young-gil, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out on the CBS radio program 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 25th of last month that "It is a human duty for Lee Man-hee, as the head of the religious group causing controversy, to apologize to the public in any form."

He added, "Isn't this an opportunity for the one called the Savior and the Victor to prove that he can overcome COVID-19? Instead of hiding and sending just one letter, he should personally come forward and interview believers, urging them to cooperate with authorities. The current approach is not dignified at all," he repeatedly criticized.

Yoo Si-min, Chairman of the People’s Party Foundation, also raised his voice on the YouTube broadcast 'Yoo Si-min's Alileo Live,' saying, "When I see statements or spokespersons speaking on behalf of Chairman Lee Man-hee, it seems like they are trying to anger people."

Regarding Shincheonji believers, he criticized, "They should not just say they will cooperate; they must provide the most updated believer information to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in an Excel file, no matter how much loss they suffer. That is a human duty beyond religion."

Kim Simon, spokesperson for Shincheonji Church of Jesus, is making a statement regarding the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) at 3 PM on the 28th through a YouTube channel.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Shincheonji: "Please stop the curses and hatred"

Despite the situation, Shincheonji claims to be unfairly treated, asking for "the curses and hatred directed at believers to be stopped."

On the 28th of last month, Shincheonji spokesperson Kim Si-mon said during an online live broadcast at 3 p.m., "The witch hunt against the Shincheonji Church of Jesus has reached its peak, and due to persecution and violence from family members, one believer has died."

Regarding the recently controversial believer list, he explained, "All lists were provided to health authorities over the two days of the 25th and 26th," adding, "Trainees are not official believers, so we could not provide their information arbitrarily."

He further explained, "However, since health authorities requested the list under the condition that they take legal responsibility for any leaks, we identified and immediately provided the full list of trainees."

Shincheonji also defined the death of a female Shincheonji believer who fell in Ulsan as a death caused by "severe persecution" due to the COVID-19 situation.

Spokesperson Kim said, "Eight days after a COVID-19 case was confirmed in the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a death caused by persecution occurred," questioning, "In South Korea, where religious freedom exists, is it a reason to die just because one is not affiliated with a traditional church?" He urged a clear investigation into the incident, saying, "Do not try to cover it up as a religious or family issue; please see and judge the essence of the problem properly."

On the 28th of last month, a sign prohibiting Shincheonji entry was posted at the entrance of a church in Busanjin-gu, Busan.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Daegu City announced it is considering filing a complaint against the Shincheonji Daegu Church for hiding 1,983 believers. According to Daegu City, comparing the list submitted by the Shincheonji Daegu Church with the list received from the government revealed an additional 1,983 believers.

Daegu City also plans to consider filing complaints against those who concealed their Shincheonji membership or gave false statements during epidemiological investigations.

In response, Shincheonji rebutted, "The accusations filed by members of groups defaming the Shincheonji Church of Jesus for violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act are untrue, as the Shincheonji Church of Jesus has been actively providing data and cooperating with health authorities as requested."

Spokesperson Kim emphasized, "Since this incident, over 4,000 cases of damage such as dismissal notices, workplace persecution and harassment, family persecution, stigmatization, and defamation against Shincheonji believers have been reported."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.