Detention of a 95-Year-Old Religious Leader Damages Korea's Reputation: European Scholars of Religion Call for the Release of Chairman Lee Man-hee

CANBERRA, Australia - July 10, 2026 - PRLog -- European scholars of religion are making strong appeals to the South Korea government to release Lee Man-hee, the 95-year-old Chairman of Shincheonji Church, who remains in detention.

Chairman was detained on 24 June on charges including violations of the Political Parties Act and was indicted on 30 June. The Joint Police–Prosecution Investigation Headquarters alleges that he directed the mass registration of church members into a particular political party.

In response, Shincheonji stated that individual members freely participated in political activities and that both Chairman and church have cooperated throughout the entire investigation process, including the searches and seizures. The church expressed deep regret, stating that detaining the 95-year-old Chairman amounts in effect to a form of physical punishment.

The European Academy of Religion (EuARe), a non-profit academic network connecting scholars and institutions of religious studies, held its Ninth Annual Conference in Rome, Italy, on 3 July, where the circumstances surrounding Shincheonji Church were addressed. During "Shincheonji, a Korean New Religion in Global Context," European scholars of religion presented their respective academic papers on Shincheonji Church.

Dr. Massimo Introvigne, a sociologist of religion and the Founder and Managing Director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), commented on the detention:

"And what Korea is doing to this elderly religious leader is in violation of international law, including the United Nations' so-called Mandela Rules, which mandate that preliminary detention should be, in general, not the rule, and only in an extremely limited number of exceptional cases may be applied to elderly prisoners. So what is happening is an unmitigated scandal, which hides a political and religious vendetta."

United for Human Rights and CAP-LC submitted a joint written statement to the 62nd session of the U.N. Human Rights Council on 25 May, arguing that the situation surrounding Shincheonji has intensified.

Organizations further stated: "The President ordered the creation of a joint police–prosecutor task force explicitly targeting Shincheonji... Senior officials have publicly referred to Shincheonji as a 'criminal organization,' statements incompatible with the presumption of innocence. We [urge] the Government of the Republic of Korea to reaffirm its commitment to freedom of religion, non-discrimination, and state neutrality."

Shincheonji Church noted that "As support and petitions from prominent figures in the international community continue to grow regarding the detention of Chairman Lee Man-hee, pressure on the South Korean government and the judiciary is also mounting." It further said, "The prompt release of Chairman Lee is a matter of safeguarding freedom of religion and human rights, which are core values of democracy."

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