The Democratic Party of Korea has identified signs that tens of thousands of members of the Shincheonji religious sect collectively joined the party during the Aug. 17 national convention, it emerged on the 13th. Some within the party worry the findings could reignite factional conflict that had quieted since the convention.
According to the party, its membership review task force uncovered the indications while investigating allegations of a mass enrollment by Shincheonji followers, and reported them to the Supreme Council recently. Figures circulating inside and outside the party suggest more than 30,000 to 50,000 sect members may have joined en masse. That would amount to 2% to 3% of the roughly 1.55 million members the party had at the time of the convention.
In a notice to the media that day, the party said the level of disclosure and follow-up steps were still under discussion. It did not release details such as the exact scale or timing of the enrollments. The findings were shared only with a very small number of people, including core leadership figures, according to accounts.
The findings draw attention because the Shincheonji allegations were one of the main flashpoints between the pro-Lee Jae-myung and pro-Jung Chung-rae factions during the convention. Tensions escalated at the time after Kim Min-seok, who had the backing of the pro-Lee camp, raised suspicions of a coordinated membership drive by Shincheonji followers.
After winning the party leadership, Kim continued the inquiry by forming the membership review task force, headed by Supreme Council member Park Sun-won.
With the allegations resurfacing, the pro-Jung camp has pushed back. Rep. Jung Chung-rae, who ran against Kim at the convention, wrote on Facebook that day that if the claim of a secret alliance of anti-Lee forces, divisionists and Shincheonji turns out to have been false, those responsible must be held accountable. "Who exactly is anti-Lee, a divisionist, Shincheonji?" he wrote. "Let's get to the bottom of it, leaving nothing behind."
Choi Min-hee, another Supreme Council member, said she had pledged to quit politics if anyone produced evidence that she had worked with Shincheonji in an organized effort to influence the convention. She added that she would press the official in charge at a Supreme Council meeting for specifics, including whether such a secret alliance existed.