Choi Min-hee, a member of the Democratic Party's supreme council, called on the 15th for a full investigation and public disclosure of allegations that members of the Shincheonji religious group joined the party en masse. Choi, who is aligned with former party leader Jung Chung-rae, noted that the allegations were directed at Jung during the Aug. 17 party convention and said the party must determine "whether a politician within the Democratic Party formed an organized secret alliance with Shincheonji."
Choi made the remarks in a post on her Facebook page titled "Let's investigate Shincheonji and disclose it transparently." She said party leader Kim Min-seok had said on the party's online channel that "we will handle what needs to be handled," adding that the media interpreted the comment as a pledge to deal with the Shincheonji issue.
Choi described how the allegations surfaced during the Aug. 17 convention and argued that establishing the truth was imperative. "As a candidate for party leader, Kim publicly declared that the essence of the convention was to break a three-way secret alliance of Shincheonji, forces opposed to President Lee Jae-myung and factionalists," she said. "It is well known that after Kim's 'secret alliance' remark, reports poured out saying he had identified former leader Jung Chung-rae as the party behind that alliance."
"If a three-way secret alliance exists, it must be broken. But in two separate briefings, no evidence of such an alliance was reported," she said. Choi added that "someone's media campaign over Shincheonji and the contents of the briefings concerned the organized enrollment of Shincheonji members as party members," and said that "as far as I can tell, there appears to have been no basis for a three-way secret alliance of anti-Lee forces, Shincheonji and factionalists (referring to those opposed to President Lee Jae-myung)." She also took aim at the press, asking why reporters were not questioning whether any evidence of the alliance existed.
Choi's remarks are seen as a direct challenge to the political responsibility of Kim, who first raised the allegations of Shincheonji members joining the party. Jung also pushed back in a Facebook post, writing that the party should "disclose everything as it is, and those responsible must take responsibility." He added: "Whoever tries to cover it up halfway is the culprit. Those who run away and those who muddy the waters are the culprits." Within the party, there are concerns that the findings could trigger open protests from Jung's allies and revive factional conflict.
"I have been extremely careful to prevent division within the party, but after candidate Kim Min-seok's 'secret alliance' remark, I cannot help but join former leader Jung — who was branded by the media as anti-Lee, Shincheonji and factionalist — along with wounded party members and supporters, in demanding that the truth be established," Choi said. She went on to lament that "it is utterly dismal that the Democratic Party has somehow become caught up in a controversy over Shincheonji."