Lee Man-hee's Trial Diary (Dec. 9, 2020 updated)
(Reasons for arrest)
1. Violation of infectious disease prevention law: hiding information about
the group’s members and gatherings from governmental health authorities to be
used for contact tracing
2. Embezzling 5.6bn won ($4.7m; £3.6m)
3. Holding unapproved religious events from 2015-19
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53620633 (ENG)
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200731001251315 (ENG)
Aug. 13, 2020 / LMH's request for his release is rejected by the court
LMH claimed that the arrest is not reasonable.
The court rejected it by saying, “Based on the results of the interrogation and what appeared in the documents, considering the degree of explanation of the crime, the progress of the investigation, and the health condition, it is not believed that the issuance of an arrest warrant was inappropriate or that the necessity of arrest was not recognized.”
https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2020/08/13/2020081304429.html (KOR)
Sep. 3, 2020 / 1st trial private preparation date
LMH appeared and said,
“I
apologize for causing health concerns to the people.”
“As
long as this permits, I will be faithful to the trial.”
https://www.donga.com/news/Society/article/all/20200903/102781015/2 (KOR)
Sep. 17, 2020 / 2nd trial preparation date
LMH didn't appear but said through his attorney,
“Since two of the 36 cases (evidence) have been recently delivered (from the prosecution), we have not yet prepared an opinion form due to lack of time, but we will first disclose the effect of denying all charges."
https://www.chosun.com/national/court_law/2020/09/17/RV76TCUVSFFLNPTNS3ZQMBYP3U/ (KOR)
Sep. 18, 2020 / LMH applied for bail
https://shincheonji360.blogspot.com/2020/09/lee-man-hee-applies-for-bail-news-1.html (ENG trans. for KOR news)
https://www.news1.kr/articles/?4067825 (KOR)
Sep. 28, 2020 / 3rd trial preparation date
LMH appeared and appealed to the court for bail by saying,
"It hurts like cutting off a bone. Let me attend the trial while I am being treated."
“(I had surgery on my back) I made three bones into artificial ones. It's hard for a person who's had surgery to sit on the ground or bend down, but there's no chair in the detention center, so I'm dying sitting on the ground.”
"I'm worried about whether I'll be alive or not until the end of the trial."
"I'll be alive until the end of this trial. I will continue this trial until the end during treatment.”
"It's
so unfair. Seriously I didn't even embezzle a single won."
https://www.chosun.com/national/court_law/2020/09/28/ACYUYYCI2RCO5MWI5ZGUCNVEPI/ (KOR)
Oct. 12, 2020 / 1st trial
LMH was attended with white hairs wearing a blue prison suit in a wheelchair and said nothing.
Witnesses: Cheonji news paper CEO(A) and three more witnesses
Main
topic: Interrogation related to obstruction of business and
trespassing of buildings, such as the unauthorized occupation of Olympic Park
Peace Plaza (OPPP) by HWPL in September 2015 and the unauthorized occupation of
Hwaseong Sports Town(HST) in September 2017.
A: A
stated in September 2015 that a special aide to a Saenuri Party member was
involved in the Olympic Park rental. "I
asked the aide because I thought he would have a wide network," A said.
"I only informed the secretary-general (representative) of the HWPL about
the rental."
Prosecutor: Prosecutors confirmed the facts by presenting a police report in
the past, saying, "I called Lee Man-hee directly and informed the public
relations team."
A: In response, A said, "We are not in a position to
communicate directly with CEO LMH (HWPL). It is a symbolic meaning and a
customary expression," he denied.
Other
witnesses: The rest of the witnesses testified
that they did not receive or report to Lee, and that they reported it to the
secretary general who left SCJ, or that they only carried out the issues
decided at the meeting of senior members of Shincheonji.
https://shincheonji360.blogspot.com/2020/10/lee-manhees-first-trial-begins-kyeongil.html (ENG Trans.)
http://www.kyeongin.com/main/view.php?key=20201012010002039 (KOR)
https://www.donga.com/news/Society/article/all/20201012/103373869/1 (KOR)
Oct. 14, 2020 / 2nd trial
LMH: N/A, This was a trial for Jeong, a close aide to Lee and a defendant indicted along with LMH.
Witnesses: Kim, a Officer in charge of security and tourism facilities at
the facility management office in Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do, and Jang,
the head of the World Missionary Taekwondo Federation and a Shincheonji church
member
Main topic: A dispute over whether an application submitted to a
local government to proceed with past events were false
Big issue
related to this trial: There
was a racing for the audience ticket for this trial. All 17 tickets were taken
by SCJ members.
Prosecutor’s claim: Jeong
was indicted on charges of falsely filling out an application to a local
government on August 9, 2017 at DMZ Peace and Culture Plaza in Cheorwon County,
Gangwon Province, for organizing and conducting the "World Peace
Declaration Memorandum Ceremony," a SCJ event.
The prosecution
believes that although the unveiling ceremony was held on the 15th of the same
month with the approval of the local government, the applicant (representative
name) was impersonated as the World Missionary Taekwondo Federation, and
eventually held the event of HWPL, a related organization of SCJ, because it is
not accepted if it applies for rental in the name of SCJ. The prosecution also
stressed that it was illegal to install private permanent facilities in the
Peace and Culture Plaza, judging that the monument had a mark of "HWPL
representative Lee Man-hee," but that it was able to deceive officials
belonging to Cheorwon County because there was no specific inscription on the
monument. "We
prove Chung's charges by creating a camouflage organization called the World
Missionary Taekwondo Federation to suit his purpose and deceiving local
governments to get approval for the venue rental."
Kim: The
incident caused a flurry of complaints in some churches, including, "Why
did the sculptures of the heretical group SCJ enter the DMZ?" However, SCJ
has not done anything for 3 years, making it very difficult for public
officials (from Cheorwon County). "If we had known it was a camouflage
group, we wouldn't have allowed it."
https://shincheonji360.blogspot.com/2020/10/second-hearing-of-lee-man-hees-trial.html (ENG trans.)
https://n.news.naver.com/article/421/0004927072 (KOR)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72yCRuXrRSg&feature=emb_logo (KOR,
video, running of first-come-first-served audience ticket for LMH’s trial)
Oct. 19, 2020 / 3rd trial
The trial was ended in about an hour because the witness, a health and welfare official, is absent.
https://www.hankyung.com/society/article/2020101947427 (KOR)
Oct. 21, 2020 / 4th trial
LMH was attended and sat in a wheelchair and said nothing.
Witnesses: a health and welfare official (A)
Main topic: Was the epidemiological investigation legitimate? A
was in charge of receiving data such as the list of believers and the status of
facilities from SCJ as the head of the special management team of the Central
Accident Control Headquarters at the time. There were requests to include
resident registration numbers in the SCJ submission list.
A: (He recalled the
explosive spread of Corona 19 since Feb. 18, when the number 31 confirmed at
the Church of Daegu, Shincheonji, was around one confirmed case per day since
Jan. 20, when the first coroner was confirmed in Korea.) "The fear of that time was beyond description. We
had to come up with a quick fix.” "We needed an epidemiological
investigation because we can check immigration records and medical records
through resident registration numbers." "At that time, there were
confirmed cases in 11 churches including Daegu among the 12 SCJ branches, which
were feared to spread across the country."
Lawyer: "The
epidemiological investigation refers to the identification of movements and
contacts of the parties in the event of a confirmed or suspected person."
"The request for submission of data, such as a list of believers, does not
constitute an epidemiological investigation prescribed by the Infectious
Diseases Prevention Act." “SCJ, a senior official who discussed the issue
with A, once asked, "It is illegal to receive resident registration
numbers from believers, can we protect them at the state level?" Have you
reviewed it?"
A: "I haven't reviewed it."
https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20201021173200061?input=1179m (KOR)
https://www.news1.kr/articles/?4094586 (KOR)
Oct. 26, 2020 / 5th trial
LMH was absent for health reasons.
Witnesses: the director of the Interior of the
General Assembly of SCJ (A)
Main
topic: interrogation of Shincheonji's
intentional omission of the list of believers and information
The prosecution's presentation of evidence
<A conversation between a SCJ official and a member of general affair of SCJ>
a SCJ official: "if you can remove my personal information, delete it."
a member of general affair of SCJ: "Yes, I did."
<A manager indirectly instructed by LMH to omit the list of believers>
LMH: "Do (they) ask for everything (the list, the information) of people who are not related to the disease (Corona19). What would people say if you give them all the addresses and names?" "Not only the government but also anyone can't ask for our address and list. We're already suffering tremendous damage from what we've told them."
The prosecutor's interior of the general assembly of SCJ (A)
The prosecutor: "You must have known that the list of SCJ believers was important in quarantine, why didn't you cooperate?"
A: "There were many believers in SCJ, so the quarantine authorities were not able to confirm it."
https://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/5435860 (KOR)
Oct. 28, 2020 / 6th trial
LMH was absent for health reasons.
Witnesses: the director of the Interior of the
General Assembly of SCJ (A)
Main topic: A
dispute over the Invasion, occupation, and obstruction of business related to
the 5th WARP held at Suwon World Cup Stadium on September 18, 2019.
http://www.newscj.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=793979 (KOR – SCJ News paper) –there
is only one source in Newscj, SCJ’s newspaper. Keep in mind that Newscj
reporters make the news to support to LMH and SCJ.
Nov. 2, 2020 / 7th trial
LMH was attended and sat in a wheelchair and said nothing.
Witnesses: secretary general of SCJ (A), who was in charge of overseeing
affairs related to the Covid19, responded directly to the quarantine
authorities' demands and reported important matters to LMH.
Main
topic: interrogation of Shincheonji's intentional omission of
the list of believers
The prosecutor: The
prosecution disclosed the phone conversations in late February this year
between A and B, who worked at the presidential office's civil society office,
repeatedly asking B why he told the quarantine authorities that he had
implicitly agreed not to provide the list of special forces and infant followers.
B was in charge of Corona 19 at The Blue House at the time as a Shincheonji
Shindoro.
The prosecution
also asked A why he sent messages to the 12 tribe leaders in March by writing,
“I handed over the list of names of more than 3,000 believers to the
government” or “I am picking up a list of believers to be handed over to the
quarantine authorities."
A: "We thought that civil servants or politicians, like
B, could be persecuted just because they were believers in SCJ."
"More than anything else, I told a government official who was in
negotiations at the time, and he said so because he answered “it’s up to
you." "At the time, B said, “It's difficult if it turns out that I'm
a believer in SCJ. How's the deal going?" "There were so many
complaints from people who might be in trouble if they were found to be a
believer in SCJ, like B at the time, that they were more intended to reassure
them." "In fact, we provided all the information of government
officials and political believers, including B, without omitting it."
The
prosecutor: Prosecutors stressed that their calls
were not aimed at sharing quarantine work to prevent the spread of Corona 19,
but rather at a meeting to protect the organization among believers in
Sincheonji.
https://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/5440611 (KOR)
Nov. 4, 2020 / 8th trial
LMH was attended.
Witnesses: A, administrative secretary of the
General Assembly Headquarters of SCJ
Main
topic: Interrogation related to the LMH's
order when submitting data to the quarantine authorities
When asked by the prosecution whether there was an order from Lee in the
process of submitting the list of church members and the status of the facilities
to the quarantine authorities, A consistently denied the request.
In this trial, LMH appealed to the court for bail, saying, "I want to avoid suffering even if I kill
myself."
LMH also said, "I'm worried that my life will last until the end
of the trial." "I was originally hospitalized (when I
arrested)." "I can't tell you what the pain is. I would rather die
than live." LMH submitted a self-written
petition asking for bail, saying, "The
presiding judge should be generous." In addition, the lawyers
filed a petition with the court for 75 members of the church, including the SCJ
tribe leaders.
https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20201104178000061 (KOR)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZHEe8A6UCg&feature=emb_logo (KOR, video)
Nov. 9, 2020 / 9th trial
LMH was attended and sat in a wheelchair and said nothing.
Witnesses: a public official belonging to KCDC
Main
topic: a dispute over the government's
request for a full list of SCJ believers.
Lawyer: It is not an epidemiological investigation to ask for a
full list of SCJ believers with resident registration numbers. "The epidemiological investigation itself and the
request for data provision need to be clearly distinguished."
KCDC official: "The request for data provision for
epidemiological investigation can also be regarded as epidemiological
investigation."
Lawyer: "About 180,000 believers were
investigated in other regions except Daegu and Gyeongbuk, and only 67 (0.037%)
were tested positive. The outcome is not a valid investigation."
KCDC official: "We asked for various data to
confirm the results.""In the epidemiological investigation process of
other collective infection sites, such as Bucheon Coupang, Yongin Woori First
Church, and Seoul Sarang First Church, we confirmed the entire list, just like
SCJ." If the number of additional confirmed cases increases exponentially,
there will be too much delay in time to just keep up."
https://www.hankyung.com/society/article/2020110916687 (KOR)
Nov. 11, 2020 / 10th trial
LMH was absent
Witnesses:
N/A
Main
topic: a dispute over embezzlement
Prosecutors
claim: Based on statements made by
KNH, LMH said that during the construction of the Peace Palace, each tribe
leader to pay for a boat ride on the Bukhangang River when he finished building
the house. LMH also told the tribe leaders to pay for money every time before
he left for his overseas lecture. The prosecution said, "After checking
Kim's statements and bank account tracking, it was confirmed that Lee received
130 million won for yachts and 180 million won for overseas lectures and used
it for personal use."
Lawyer's claim: LMH admits that the money came from a tribe, but
the defendant countered that there was no evidence that the funds were not
allowed to be used personally because they were official funds of the church.
https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0103_202011112037272142 (KOR)
Nov. 12, 2020 / LMH released on bail
(Reasons for bail)
1. increasing
health concerns while in custody
2. Lee is
unlikely to destroy evidence if released.
(Bail
conditions)
1. The court set
the bail bond at 100mn won ($89,700),
2. ordered him
to stay at his residence,
3. and wear an
electric device to trace his movement.
https://www.allkpop.com/article/2020/11/chairman-lee-man-hee-of-shincheonji-church-released-on-bail (ENG)
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2020/11/251_299201.html (ENG)
Nov. 16, 2020 / 11th trial
LMH was attended
Witnesses: A, a Former Secretary-General of HWPL, an ex-member who had
been in SCJ for 14 years.
Main topic: A witnessed “In SCJ,
LMH's words are like those of God.”
Note: A refused to meet Lee and witnessed through a video
relay system at a separate testimony room in the court.
A: “In SCJ, LMH's words are like those of God.” "They recruit people and make them to study one-on-one
class in the BB class. After six to eight months of training, people who were
wary of SCJ will accept the doctrine due to brainwashing." "All
matters in SCJ are supposed to be reported to LMH, and nothing is done without
his instructions."
https://news.joins.com/article/23921818 (KOR)
http://v.media.daum.net/v/20201117075724429?f=o (KOR,
Lee Man-hee, surprise upright walk after trial)
Nov. 18, 2020 / 12th trial
LMH was attended
Witnesses: Three heads of SCJ Center who donated to HWPL
account
Main topic: LMH's alleged embezzlement of HWPL funds
Prosecutors claim: LMH embezzled the 250.5 m won ($224K) deposited into the HWPL a/c.
A (Head of a center of John
tribe): "My husband, who was a student at
the Mission Center around August 2018, was moved by the news of Lee's overseas
mission and watched related videos, so I voluntarily donated 50 million
won."
B (Head of a center of Seoul
James tribe): “About January 2018, I sponsored
with a wife who is a member of the same congregation, saying, 'Since LMH is
sick, I will have to give it for treatment.'” "We gave it for the medical
expenses, but LMH said that he would use it for overseas
missions." “We didn’t want to know (expenditures) because we gave him
personal use of the money.”
C (Head of a center): he explained that he marked it as a “Chairman’s
donation” on the church’s donation envelope and and put it in the donation box.
Lawyer's claim: These amounts have nothing to do with embezzlement charges of
misappropriating public funds, as they all pointed out Lee and delivered
donations.
Persecutor’s claim: the money was deposited into HWPL's
account, so the moment it was deposited, it would become HWPL's public funds.
Lawyer's
claim: "It was not a HWPL account, but a
personal account created using LMH's seal, which had nothing but donations from
the SCJ believers."
http://www.newscj.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=800195 (KOR – SCJ News paper) –there
is only one source in Newscj, SCJ’s newspaper. Keep in mind that New scj
reporters make the news to support to LMH and SCJ.
Nov. 23, 2020 / 13th trial
No news
Nov. 25, 2020 / 14th trial
LMH was attended wearing a navy suit and
waistband, wore headphones as if he could not hear well.
Witnesses: Kim Nam-hee
Main topic: Testimonies
on the purpose of using the Palace of Peace and the giving money to Lee Man-hee
by the Shincheonji tribe leaders and believers
Kim
Nam-hee: "The Gapyeong Peace Palace, which was built for the
purpose of the Shincheonji Training Center, was actually a residential area for
the couple's life." "Even though the funds were used, there is no
management and supervision of the General Assembly." "I
realized later that it was registered as the Shinchonji Training Center on the
registration sheet." "At the time, leader Lee said that registration
as a religious facility would result in tax exemption." "He
used believers to perform worship services to deceive the purpose of use into
the training center. In fact, only three to four times a year have been used
for the purpose of the Sincheonji event." "They could not meet the leader Lee
Man-hee without money at the Sincheonji organization, a one-man dictatorship."
"I witnessed in person that the tribe leaders and other believers
frequently gave checks and cash." "Leader
Lee Man-hee deposited the money right away or kept it in his study drawer and
home in Gwacheon."
(The
leader is)
"a vampire sucking the blood of believers in
Shincheonji."
The prosecution also presented a book of
memo by Lee Man-hee with the names and amounts of each tribe written on Korean
Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, the birthday of the priest, and the teacher's
day, as evidence.
LMH was attended wearing
a dark blue suit without a tie in a wheelchair. He wore headphones saying that
he can’t hear well. He was seen sleeping with his eyes closed as his lawyer’s
last defense was prolonged.
Main topic: Decision-making
trial
Prosecutors demand: 5 years prison term and 3 million won for LMH, 10
months prison term for the official Chung, and 8 months prison term for
officials Hong and Yang.
Prosecutors: "The accused,
including the leader Lee, exposed the lives of numerous people to the danger."
"He pretended to cooperate with the quarantine authorities on the outside,
but did not actually cooperate." "This is in line with Sincheonji's
plot." "The defendant's crime of ignoring public power and
obstructing quarantine authorities' activities is bad."
Prosecutors: said Lee was directly involved in the obstruction of
epidemiological investigations by quarantine authorities, suggesting that he
ordered to omit and manipulate the list of believers and facilities to be
submitted to the quarantine authorities in February when Corona 19 was
spreading.
Lawyers: claimed that it was not intentionally omitted and that
it cooperated with the quarantine authorities as much as possible. The leader
Lee’s side also denied allegations that he embezzled 5.6 billion won by
bringing in some 5 billion won in funds from the Sincheonji General Assembly in
the process of building a "Peace Palace" in Goseong-ri, Gapyeong,
Gyeonggi Province.
Prosecutors: however, said the venue was used for personal
purposes, including housing, based on testimony from Kim Nam-hee, former head
of the International Women's Peace Group (IWPG), who is known as the leader’s
mistress. Prosecutors said the embezzlement charges were established, citing
that there was no intervention by the Sincheonji General Assembly from the
acquisition process and that the leader did not go through any internal
procedures of the General Assembly even when he took the building funds out of
the Sincheonji funds.
LMH: “I did not embezzle one won, and there was no land." "Shincheonji did not make corona 19 or bring it from China." "I have been around Kim Nam-hee for nearly 20 years. There's a saying, 'People know when they go through it.' Ninety percent of what Kim said is a lie. But I don't want to curse (Kim)." (To the reporters and Shincheonji believers sitting in the auditorium) "You live with a salary, right? I've never been paid a single salary." "I have no embezzlement, of course, and there is no single piece of land to me. This is what the heaven heard and the earth heard." "How long will I live if I live? (To the prosecutors) Do you want to make me a sinner?" "You must never lie. I will live without sin again and live upright.”
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