“Statements from Former Members Are Insufficient”: Shincheonji Issues Strong Warning to Media Outlets Reporting ‘Primary Interference Allegations’

- “Allegations of organized primary interference and payment of membership fees are groundless... distortion of individual voluntary participation as organized crime”

- Expression of regret over reporting reliant on unverified tips from former members... urging responsible fact-checking by the media

- “Indiscriminate stigmatizing reports are tools for human rights violations”... appealing for protection while citing past cases of harm against members

 

 

 

[January 22, 2026] – Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (hereinafter Shincheonji Church of Jesus), issued an official statement on the 22nd, entirely denying allegations raised by some media outlets regarding interference in a specific political party's primary and the payment of membership fees. The church categorized the reporting as “confirmation bias-driven distortion that has not undergone even basic fact-checking,” and strongly requested an end to the groundless accusations.

 

 

■ “There was no organized mobilization... Criminalizing voluntary participation of citizens”

 

Shincheonji Church of Jesus, regarding allegations of mobilizing the organization or paying membership fees to support a specific party’s candidate, clearly stated, “There is no fact of organized interference in the primary process of a specific party, nor was there any planned action to support a candidate or payment of membership fees.” · Personal Freedom vs. Organized Intervention: It clarified that while it is possible some members participated at campaign sites, this was a personal choice as citizens and not an official instruction from the church. · Error of Generalization: The church pointed out that driving the autonomous actions of individual members into an organized criminal conspiracy is a clear error of generalization by the media.

 

 

■ Reliance on unverified ‘tips from former members’... “Dereliction of media duty”

 

The church specifically questioned the credibility of the tips that served as the basis for the reports. It criticized the reports for relying solely on the one-sided claims of former members who are hostile to the church. · Lack of Cross-verification: It lashed out, stating that reporting without even minimum verification of the identity, motivation, or credibility of the informant is a dereliction of responsibility rather than public interest reporting. · Waiting for Investigation Results: It expressed deep concern over the practice of continuing assertive reporting based on speculation without waiting for the results of the ongoing investigation by investigative agencies.

 

 

■ “Human rights violations caused by stigmatizing reports... Members are also citizens”

 

Shincheonji Church of Jesus recalled past tragedies where biased reporting by the media escalated into actual human rights abuses. · Past Cases of Harm: It emphasized that during the COVID-19 pandemic, members suffered more than 5,000 cases of human rights violations, including unfair dismissal, domestic violence, and bullying, due to the flood of negative reports, and that two members lost their lives in the process. · Protection of Civil Rights: “Shincheonji members are citizens of the Republic of Korea before they are religious practitioners,” it appealed, stating that stigmatizing reports tailored to specific frames must no longer create innocent victims.

 

 

As the Prosecution-Police joint investigation team expands its investigation into the possibility of organized party enrollment based on the statements of former members, attention is focused on what impact this strong response from Shincheonji will have on the direction of future investigations and reporting. The full text of the statement follows.

 

 

[Statement]

 

Shincheonji Church of Jesus’ Position on Reports Regarding ‘Primary Interference Mobilization Theory and Membership Fee Payment’

 

Shincheonji Church of Jesus has not organized intervention in the primary process of a specific party, nor has it engaged in planned actions to support a candidate or paid membership fees.

 

1.Primary interference and organized mobilization are not true. There is no instruction at the church level or organized movement, and reporting that generalizes individual participation as a crime of the whole is a clear distortion.

 

 

There may be cases of participation at some campaign sites, but it appears to be voluntary participation rather than participation by official instruction.

 

 

Categorizing this as ‘primary interference’ is confirmation bias reporting. If primary interference were true, it is a matter to be judged through the objective investigation results of investigative agencies, not a matter to be concluded through speculative reporting.

 

 

2.‘Payment of membership fees’ reported through the media is also not true. This is also merely confirmation bias-driven reporting that concluded the one-sided claims of a Shincheonji former member as fact without fact-checking.

 

 

3.Reporting based only on ‘unverified tips’ from witnesses dissatisfied with Shincheonji Church of Jesus is a dereliction of media duty. Reporting without minimum verification of the informant’s identity, motivation, and credibility of claims is a dereliction of responsibility, not public interest reporting. Some media outlets are repeatedly citing unverified tips as if they were facts and continuing reporting without counterarguments or objective verification. This is not news coverage but merely the delivery of claims, and it is a behavior where the media itself abandons the responsibility of fact-checking.

 

 

4.Such reports are being used as tools that violate human rights and even lead to murder. During the COVID-19 pandemic, while the media engaged in ‘confirmation bias stigmatizing reporting’ regarding Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Shincheonji members suffered over 5,000 cases of serious harm, such as unfair dismissal, domestic violence, and bullying at schools and workplaces, and two members even passed away. Nevertheless, the media has turned a blind eye to the results.

 

 

Shincheonji Church of Jesus members are citizens of this country before they are religious practitioners. We earnestly request that you stop the delivery of unverified tips and assertive reporting tailored to specific frames, and return to responsible reporting that meticulously verifies facts and contexts. The truth will be revealed through investigation and verification.