SEOUL, June 25 (Reuters) - A South Korean court ordered the arrest of Lee Man-hee, the founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, over allegations he orchestrated an illegal scheme for followers to join a political party, news reports said.
Lee, 95, is accused of violating the Political Parties Act, which bans religious groups from involvement in politics, and obstruction, for directing tens of thousands of followers to join the conservative People Power Party ahead of major elections.
The court late on Wednesday cited the risk of evidence destruction by Lee, according to reports. Officials at the Seoul Central District Court could not immediately be reached for comment early on Thursday.
In court earlier on Wednesday for a warrant hearing, appearing frail and supported by aides, Lee did not answer questions about the charges against him.
The self-proclaimed messiah Lee founded Shincheonji in the 1980s. Many mainstream Christian groups have described it as a "brainwashing cult".
Investigators said more than 50,000 Shincheonji members were mobilised between 2021 and 2024 to support PPP candidates at the 2022 presidential and 2024 parliamentary nomination contests.
Lee, who has denied wrongdoing, is suspected of sitting at the apex of the operation, which authorities have described as a case of potential collusion between religion and politics.
Shincheonji was thrust into the spotlight during South Korea's 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, with more than half of early cases linked to its followers.
Lee was acquitted on charges of violating public health laws in 2021.
The case against Shincheonji is part of a wider probe into religious interference in politics, with prosecutors also examining claims the Unification Church mobilised members to join the PPP and cultivated ties with politicians through donations.
(Reporting by Kyu-seok Shim, Jack Kim; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
