A court has extended until the 11th the suspension of detention for Lee Man-hee, the head of the Shincheonji religious group, who was indicted and detained on charges of forcing followers to join the People Power Party.
The 27th criminal division of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Woo In-sung, granted Lee's request to extend the suspension, legal sources said on the 3rd. The suspension, which had been set to expire at 6 p.m. on the 4th, now runs until 6 p.m. on the 11th.
Suspension of detention allows a defendant to be temporarily released when the court recognizes an urgent reason, such as serious illness, childbirth or attendance at a family funeral. Lee's side filed for the suspension on the 25th of last month, citing health problems, and the court approved it on the 31st of the same month.
The court also held a hearing to review the need for his release after Lee's side applied for bail on the 21st of last month on health grounds. No decision has been made on whether to grant it.
Lee is accused of forcing followers to join the People Power Party between 2021 and 2024 with the aim of influencing the party's presidential and general election primaries. A joint police-prosecution investigation headquarters on church-state collusion believes Shincheonji encouraged followers to join the party through initiatives such as a "Pilates Project" run by each of its branches. He has also been indicted on charges of evading about 7.57 billion won in corporate and value-added taxes between 2016 and 2020, including by concealing profit-making operations through running shop counters at Shincheonji branch churches under followers' names.
