Newstamsa On-Site Report at Gwangju Shincheonji Church Raises Allegations of Interference in Democratic Party Convention

The footage contains remarks by Shincheonji followers about the Democratic Party convention's party-member vote, along with a conversation with the external affairs head of the Peter Branch.

A Shincheonji follower the reporting team met said they intend to take part in this convention vote. The follower said they did not like Jeong Chung-rae in the past, but will now back him because Kim Min-seok is too hard on Shincheonji.

The follower voiced dissatisfaction that politicians are pressuring Shincheonji even though religious freedom exists, and stressed that they will support Jeong Chung-rae because Kim Min-seok pressured the group.

A Newstamsa reporter said the follower clearly stated a willingness to back Jeong Chung-rae out of opposition to Kim Min-seok's pressure on Shincheonji.

It explained that because of this perception, even Shincheonji followers who once disliked Jeong Chung-rae are now backing him due to Kim Min-seok's remarks.

It added that because this sense of consensus has formed within the church, followers responded immediately when the reporter asked questions.

Newstamsa said it has already confirmed the vote of one Shincheonji follower who backs Jeong Chung-rae, and demanded that Jeong clearly state he will not accept this vote.

It urged Jeong Chung-rae to demand that Shincheonji stop interfering in the primary now, and to state that he will not accept Shincheonji votes even if he loses.

This information has once again raised concerns about organized movement by Shincheonji.

The Newstamsa reporting team returned to the Peter Branch church in Gwangju and conducted a live broadcast on site. During the broadcast, the Peter Branch's external affairs head, described as the Shincheonji equivalent of a national intelligence chief, came over in person and exchanged brief words.

Newstamsa said that through this exchange, concerns about Shincheonji's interference in the primary had grown even stronger.

The reporting team said that even when they tried to use the restroom, they had to pass through several stages of monitoring and screening.

This shows that internal control of the Shincheonji church and blocking of outside access are carried out thoroughly.

The reporters confirmed a large number of Shincheonji followers gathered at the church during weekday daytime hours, which is unusual.

The reporter said they had visited on weekdays before and had never seen this many people gathered, raising the possibility that they had assembled for a specific purpose.

The reporter questioned the gathering, given that it coincided with the convention period and the start of the Honam vote.

Park Jong-yeon, Department Head, denied having any interest in the Democratic Party convention. The reporter, however, cited urgent tip-off information from the previous day indicating that in the prior year roughly 6,000 to 7,000 members from the Jeonbuk Doma branch had joined as party members, and challenged the claim that the Gwangju Peter branch had no interest.

The reporter questioned Shincheonji's claim of political disinterest, arguing that if the group had no interest in politics, there would be no reason for its chairman to have been arrested.

The reporter directly asked the outreach head whether the church had organized party-member enrollment and whether it had directed members to vote for Jung Chung-rae in the convention. The outreach head replied that he did not want to talk about it and evaded the question.

The reporter pressed further, asking why he would not simply say there was no such fact if it was untrue, but the outreach head refused to address the matter and continued to dodge the questions.

This evasiveness amplified suspicions of an organized Shincheonji effort to interfere.

The outlet noted that continuing links between the Honam Ilbo and Shincheonji had been found, raising questions about the relationship between Jung Chung-rae and the group.

The member's remark is clearly recorded on screen, establishing the follower's stated intention to back a specific candidate.

It stressed that even if he does not become party leader, he does not want Shincheonji's help, and that the group should be told clearly, now, not to interfere in the race.

It expressed a firm intention to produce a white paper on Shincheonji after the race, as it did with a Honam white paper following the last local elections.