South Korea sect leader arrested over coronavirus outbreak

 

FILE PHOTO: People watch a TV broadcasting a news report on a news conference held by Lee Man-hee, founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, in Seoul, South Korea, March 2, 2020. REUTERS/Heo Ran/File Photo

 

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean authorities arrested the founder of a secretive Christian sect at the centre of the country's largest outbreak of COVID-19 infections on Saturday for allegedly hiding crucial information from contact-tracers and other offences.

 

Lee Man-hee is the powerful head of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus which is linked to more than 5,200 coronavirus infections, or 36% of South Korea's total cases.

 

Prosecutors allege the 89-year-old conspired with other sect leaders to withhold information from authorities during the peak of the outbreak among his more than 200,000 followers.

 

Lee, who has described the novel coronavirus as the "devil’s deed" to stop the sect's growth, allegedly hid details on members and their meeting places as authorities tried to trace infection routes in February, Yonhap news agency reported.

 

Lee is also suspected of embezzling about 5.6 billion won ($4.7 million) in church funds, including about 5 billion won which he allegedly used to build a retreat, Yonhap said.

 

The sect said in a statement that Lee was concerned about government demands for members' personal information but never tried to hide anything.

 

Lee was arrested immediately after a court in Suwon District, south of Seoul, approved the warrant.

 

A prosecution official could not be reached outside of office hours.

 

($1 = 1,193.0000 won)

 

(Reporting by Joyce Lee, additional reporting by Sangmi Cha; Editing by Daniel Wallis ad Stephen Coates)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-08-01

 

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If that's Lee He Man Hee on the screen has he got a brother in a general's uniform posing as a PM somewhere ????

Good I wish they could do the same here with the it’s my right not to wear a mask crowd!

36 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

embezzling about 5.6 billion won ($4.7 million) in church funds, including about 5 billion won

Jesus!

Amazing how these sect leaders persuade gullible followers to donate what little they have and then ignore their parishioners health and well-being. The more fanatical the leader the more likely they are to abscond with or divert the funds. Seems to affect most religions.

17 hours ago, Tug said:

Good I wish they could do the same here with the it’s my right not to wear a mask crowd!

this could entirely decimate the Karen populace!