Ruling Party Unable to Find a Way Out of the 'Shincheonji Party Member' Quagmire

Lee Seong-yoon: "Are they trying to build an alibi?"
Song Young-gil: "If you investigate 100,000 people, then investigating 300,000 means multiplying by three"
Calls for solutions continue, from a comprehensive investigation to full disclosure

The Democratic Party of Korea has been struggling to find a way out of the controversy over so-called “Shincheonji members in the party.” The dispute is increasingly mired in controversy, with sharply conflicting interpretations emerging over the number of Shincheonji members identified through limited access to the records.

After reviewing the findings of an investigation into Shincheonji members in the party on Nov. 10, Lee Seongyoon, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, “I feel truly disheartened by the Shincheonji issue that has rocked our party for three months since July.” Lee, who is known to be aligned with the pro-Jeong Cheong-rae faction, said, “We cannot verify where the Shincheonji membership list, which contains more than 100,000 names, came from or whether it is accurate,” adding, “It is also incorrect to infer from the list how many rights-holding members and regular members there are.” He continued, “There is no documentary evidence showing whether there was a secret alliance among the anti-Lee Jae-myung faction, the divisive faction, and Shincheonji, or whether Shincheonji engaged in organized intervention.” He added, “There is so little substance that I find myself wondering whether they had no materials when they first raised the allegations and are now creating materials to construct an alibi.”

Lee Seongyoon, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, speaks at a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on the 28th. Yonhap News Agency

Earlier, at a general meeting of lawmakers on Nov. 3, Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Minseok apologized, saying there was no evidence for the allegation of a “secret three-way alliance” he had raised during the party convention, and made the investigation findings available for review. From Nov. 6 through Nov. 13, lawmakers and district party committee chairs have been reviewing the findings individually at the party’s secretary-general’s office. According to lawmakers who reviewed the party’s investigation findings, about 14,500 Democratic Party members are suspected of being Shincheonji followers. Of those, about 8,000 are rights-holding members, and about 3,300 are expected to have been eligible to vote in the party convention held in August.

On Nov. 9, Democratic Party lawmaker Song Young-gil commented on these figures, saying, “The investigation was based on a list of 100,000 people. If there are 300,000 Shincheonji followers, shouldn’t you multiply the figure by three?” He added, “If a religious group like this is on organized standby to intervene in opinion polls, the impact would be enormous.” Jo Gyewon, a party spokesperson aligned with the party leadership, previously said after reviewing the findings that they contained some significant figures and that the situation was relatively serious in the Jeonnam-Gwangju and Jeonbuk regions.

Within the party, some have argued that measures such as a comprehensive investigation and revoking party membership are necessary. Others have called for institutional reforms, including amendments to the Political Parties Act, while some say the findings should be fully disclosed and those responsible held politically accountable. Democratic Party lawmaker Park Joomin appeared on SBS Radio’s “Kim Tae-hyun’s Political Show” on Nov. 10 and said, “I think distrust and other concerns can be resolved only if [Kim] explains the findings that have been substantiated by evidence.”

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party will hold a general meeting of lawmakers on Nov. 10 to discuss additional legislation, including a bill to prevent stock price suppression. Democratic Party floor leader Han Byeongdo said, “We want to eliminate incentives for controlling shareholders to keep stock prices low in order to reduce inheritance and gift taxes,” adding, “We will take the lead in protecting investors and restoring confidence in the stock market.”

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