Lee Seongyun: "Shincheonji Probe Must Be Made Public" vs. Park Seonwon: "I'll Make a Public Announcement"... War of Words at Ruling Party Supreme Council Meeting

Lee Seongyun Calls for Shincheonji Investigation Findings to Be Made Public at Supreme Council Meeting
Park Seonwon Pushes Back, Says He Will Hold a Press Conference, Then Backs Off for Now

A war of words broke out among Supreme Council members over allegations that Shincheonji members had joined the party en masse at an open Supreme Council meeting of the Democratic Party of Korea. When Supreme Council member Lee Seong-yun, who belongs to the pro-Jeong Cheong-rae faction, called for the investigation’s findings to be made public, Supreme Council member Park Seon-won, who led the party membership review task force (TF) in charge of the investigation, pushed back, saying, “Fine, make it all public.”

At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on Oct. 23, Supreme Council member Lee Seong-yun referred to a public opinion poll related to the Shincheonji investigation and the findings of the Joint Investigation Headquarters on Church-State Collusion, then said, “Now we must disclose to the public and our party members, as they are, the findings of the investigation into allegations of Shincheonji’s involvement, which divided our party and hurt our members.” Lee said, “It is time to disclose the basis for the secret alliance between Shincheonji and anti-Lee factionalists and bring this matter to a close,” adding, “If the allegations of Shincheonji’s involvement are true, those involved must be held accountable. If there is no basis for them, our party must ensure that those responsible face equally severe consequences.”

Kim Minseok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and floor leader Han Byeongdo attend a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on Oct. 23, 2026. Photo by Yoon Dongju.

After the meeting, Supreme Council member Park told Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok, “I’ll make a public announcement at the Tonggwan (the National Assembly press conference hall),” and said, “As the TF leader, I will fulfill my responsibility,” appearing to push back against Lee’s remarks. After discussions in a closed-door meeting, Park initially backed away from his plan to make the findings public. When reporters asked whether he planned to disclose the investigation’s findings that day, he said, “No.” Kim had earlier postponed a detailed report on Shincheonji and follow-up measures until after the parliamentary audit.

Although the matter did not lead to further developments, such as a press conference on the investigation’s findings, the conflict continued.

After the launch ceremony for the K-Defense Industry Support Special Committee that day, reporters asked Park whether there was evidence that Shincheonji had organized its members to join the Democratic Party. “Yes,” he replied, adding, “That’s all I’ll say.” Asked why Lee and others had objected, he said, “I won’t comment.”

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