A probe into alleged political collusion by Shincheonji, a controversial religious group, has resurfaced scrutiny of its affiliated corporations – and revealed a surprising twist: one previously shut down by Seoul authorities during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic is now, remarkably, back on the city’s registry. The legal battles and internal documents paint a picture of a group aggressively defending its status, even characterizing the city’s actions as a “political show.”
Shincheonji’s Legal Comeback
As prosecutors and police investigate potential political ties, attention has turned to Shincheonji-related entities like Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light, and HWPL. But a deeper look reveals another organization, “New Heaven, New Earth, Tabernacle of the Testimony, Jesuit Missionary Society,” also fought – and won – its reinstatement with the Seoul Metropolitan Government through an administrative lawsuit.
Internal Shincheonji documents, obtained earlier, detail the group’s assessment of this legal process. They record the outcome of the lawsuit as a victory, with training materials noting “HWPL” as “winning the case” and “New Heaven, New Earth” as “confirmed winning.” The documents also suggest a belief that Seoul City deliberately didn’t pursue further appeals, stating, “Seoul City did not appeal everything…They admitted that the death of the former mayor was ultimately a political show.”
COVID-19 and Initial Crackdowns
In early 2020, Shincheonji became a focal point of the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea, prompting swift and comprehensive administrative actions by the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. These measures included the revocation of corporate establishment permits for two Shincheonji-affiliated organizations: Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Liberation, and HWPL, and the aforementioned “New Heaven, New Earth” group.
The city’s rationale at the time was that both corporations, led by Lee Man-hee, were operating outside the scope of their stated purpose and were detrimental to public interest. Shincheonji contested these decisions, launching administrative lawsuits that ultimately overturned the city’s rulings. Current non-profit corporation registration records confirm that both HWPL and “New Heaven and New Earth Tabernacle of the Testimony Jesuit Missionary Society” are currently registered with Seoul City.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government explained that after reviewing the cases through the first and second trials of administrative litigation, they determined there was no additional data to submit and therefore did not file further appeals at the end of 2022.
The ongoing investigation by the prosecution-police Joint Investigation Headquarters into Shincheonji’s alleged collusion is now raising questions about the legal standing of the religious corporation itself.
What is the current status of Shincheonji-related corporations in Seoul? Both HWPL and “New Heaven and New Earth Tabernacle of the Testimony Jesuit Missionary Society” are currently registered corporations with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, despite previous attempts to revoke their permits.
