Kim Minseok: "We need to sort out Shincheonji's entry into the Democratic Party"... Pro-Jeong Cheong-rae faction: "Media manipulation cannot be tolerated" (Roundup)

Verbal briefing to the Supreme Council before the parliamentary audit
Investigation plans, including the party's future response
Pro-Jeong Cheong-rae faction: Apologize if unable to prove the three-way alliance involving Shincheonji

Kim Minseok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on Oct. 14, regarding the party’s internal investigation into allegations that Shincheonji members had joined the party en masse, “We will use this opportunity to clarify and sort out as much as we can.”

Appearing on the party’s YouTube channel, Democratic Party TV, Kim discussed the party’s own fact-finding investigation, saying, “I don’t think we can tell you everything,” while outlining the party’s planned response.

Kim Minseok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, delivers opening remarks at a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on Oct. 14, 2026. Photo by Yoon Dongju

The findings of the investigation had recently leaked through media reports. In response, the Democratic Party said in a press notice on Oct. 13 that “the investigation was recently concluded and reported to the Supreme Council” and that “the level of disclosure and follow-up measures are under discussion.”

Regarding the investigation, Kim said, “There have been suggestions in various places, including News Factory, about the possibility of Shincheonji involvement. The People Power Party also raised allegations of organized membership enrollment by Shincheonji, and the government has previously said that the involvement of religious groups in politics must be strictly dealt with. I also raised the issue at the last party convention. After the convention, a task force led by Supreme Council member Park Seonwon was launched to review party membership, and the investigation was, in fact, concluded once shortly before the parliamentary audit.”

Kim Minseok: "Substantial evidence of membership enrollment confirmed"

Kim added that the findings were reported to the Supreme Council because it would be too late to report them after the parliamentary audit. He said, “I also heard about it for the first time at that Supreme Council briefing. I was told roughly how the investigation was conducted and that it had confirmed a substantial level of collective membership enrollment. The remaining questions are what to do next, whether to disclose the findings at the Supreme Council level or at a meeting of the party’s lawmakers, and whether to use the party’s limited means to verify the findings and seek an investigation.”

With media reports putting the number of new members at around 30,000 to 50,000, Kim declined to comment on the approximate scale of the membership drive. “I don’t remember the exact number. Since this was not determined through an investigation, it was an estimate based on methods that could be used to verify it, and the figure is not exact,” he said, adding, “There are testimonies [about organized involvement].” Kim said, “There’s little we can do if religious believers or others join a political party,” but added, “It’s an entirely different matter if some of it was organized, or if instructions were given to engage in political activity during the party primary.”

Cautious about seeking an investigation; Supreme Council briefing after parliamentary audit

The party is deliberating over whether and how much to disclose, as well as how to respond.

Kim explained, “The matter is somewhat complicated and needs to be examined. There are also political and administrative considerations, so after receiving the initial report, we postponed a full discussion dedicated to the issue.” He added that no decision had yet been made on verification or requesting an investigation.

However, he reaffirmed his determination to get to the bottom of the matter. Kim said, “This did not first come up at this party convention; it has roots in the past, so we conducted a more thorough investigation this time. We need to resolve the matter. We must handle it carefully and prudently, including with the future in mind, and make sure the problem is addressed.” Asked about concerns that referring the matter to investigative authorities could lead to unpredictable consequences, he said, “I will keep the party as a whole in mind.”

Democratic Party of Korea leaders, including party leader Kim Minseok, bow their heads before the start of a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on Oct. 12, 2026. Photo by Yoon Dongju, staff photographer.

Cho Gye-won, a Democratic Party spokesperson, said he expected the Supreme Council to be briefed on the mass enrollment of Shincheonji members after the parliamentary audit in October. Asked about the timing, Cho said, “It will likely be after the parliamentary audit,” adding, “After that, the party will discuss internal agreement, including whether to disclose the findings, and take follow-up steps. If an investigation is needed, we will also refer the matter to the authorities based on what we have collected so far.”

Pro-Chung faction pushes back, alleging media manipulation

Some party members also raised concerns that details that had been kept confidential were made public.

Lee Seong-yun, a Democratic Party Supreme Council member known to be aligned with the pro-Chung (pro-Jeong Cheong-rae) faction, said, “At his first Supreme Council meeting after taking office, Kim said that anyone who disclosed confidential matters would be removed from the meeting, regardless of their rank. Now, as promised, he must identify who leaked confidential information and remove them.”

Democratic Party Supreme Council member Han Minsu also raised concerns, suggesting that the reports may have been an attempt to manipulate the media. Han said, “What was shared verbally in early October was only evidence of membership enrollment based on a comparison of membership lists. I was not told when the members joined, whether they were actually Shincheonji followers, or what impact they had on the party convention after cross-checking those details. I clearly said that organized voting had not been confirmed either.” He added, “This has once again merely raised suspicions, and media manipulation based on inaccurate claims can no longer be tolerated.”

Han said, “A thorough fact-finding investigation must come first. The investigation process and findings, as well as the evidence supporting the claims, must all be disclosed. If the truth behind this discord cannot be properly revealed, the right thing to do is to apologize first.” He was also calling for an apology over Kim’s comments at the last party convention about a secret alliance among anti-Lee forces, divisive factions, and Shincheonji. “If the alleged secret alliance among anti-Lee forces, divisive factions, and Shincheonji is false, those responsible must take responsibility,” he said.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.