'Quarantine Obstruction' Shincheonji's Lee Man-hee... Prosecutors Demand 5 Years Imprisonment

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Hyung-gil] The prosecution has requested a five-year prison sentence for Lee Man-hee, the chairman of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji), who is accused of violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.

At the sentencing hearing held on the 9th at the Suwon District Court Criminal Division 11 (Presiding Judge Kim Mi-kyung), the prosecution requested five years imprisonment and a fine of 3 million won for Chairman Lee.

The prosecution stated, "The defendant caused the loss of the golden time for quarantine due to illegal actions at the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak, putting the public at risk," adding, "He did not hesitate to engage in antisocial activities for his own benefit, disregarded public authority, and obstructed quarantine efforts, making the crime particularly serious."

They continued, "He did not promptly provide the lists of believers and facilities, which were specifically categorized on the server, and caused confusion to the quarantine authorities by omitting or manipulating some parts," explaining, "Especially, the recorded phone conversations between the defendant and key members of the headquarters at each stage suggest that the defendant was deeply involved in the overall provision of the lists."

The defense lawyer for Chairman Lee argued, "This indictment started from an excessive investigation driven by public opinion demanding the forced disbandment of the Shincheonji sect along with the spread of COVID-19," and claimed, "It is very unfair to hold Shincheonji responsible for the spread by criminally punishing the defendant based on the negative image of the Shincheonji sect."

They added, "Shincheonji submitted a list of 240,000 believers at the request of the quarantine authorities, but the number the prosecution claims was omitted or modified is only about 30," further explaining, "Records show that the omitted individuals were due to believer information modifications made before the quarantine authorities' submission request, so the claim that there was an intention to obstruct quarantine does not hold."

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