[Official Statement] Official Position of Shincheonji Church of Jesus Regarding the JTBC Report

[January 20, 2026]

Shincheonji Church of Jesus is announcing its official position regarding the recent report by JTBC concerning so-called “political party membership enrollment,” as the church has judged it to be biased and distorted reporting that includes numerous inaccuracies.

1. The report was constructed solely based on the one-sided claims of a specific individual who has consistently displayed hostility and engaged in slander against the church since being expelled from Shincheonji. This report, which lacks the procedures for hearing counterarguments and verifying facts, is a serious matter that violates the Broadcasting Act, which mandates fairness and objectivity in broadcasting.

2. JTBC reported to the effect that “the upper leadership set quotas and handed them down” regarding enrollment in the People Power Party. However, no objective evidence whatsoever was presented regarding who the “upper leadership” mentioned in the report is or what the entity represents. This is false and distorted reporting that conveys unverified claims as if they were facts.

3. In the report, an Excel file claimed to be a so-called “party membership register” was disclosed on screen. However, the file merely appears to be a list of members from various local youth associations, and no objective evidence exists to prove it is related to political party enrollment. Despite this, reporting it definitively as if it were a list of political party members is a clear distortion of facts.

Furthermore, the file in question contains data including the personal information of Shincheonji members and is known to have been acquired by an individual, Mr. Lee, in violation of the Personal Information Protection Act. Reporting based on such illegally acquired materials constitutes the media effectively condoning or encouraging criminal acts, which is a serious breach of journalistic ethics.

4. The report stating to the effect that “disciplinary punishment was administered if party membership quotas were not met” is also entirely untrue. JTBC pieced together unrelated cases and remarks to frame them as if they had a direct connection to party enrollment. This is an editing method that clearly leads viewers to a false conclusion.

5. It is possible that some young members of Shincheonji joined a specific political party and exercised their sovereignty as citizens based on their individual judgment. However, framing this as if Shincheonji Church of Jesus systematically ordered political party enrollment is contrary to the facts. This can only be seen as having the intention to influence investigations and public opinion by forming a specific perception.