Shincheonji General Assembly Chairman Lee Man-hee [Shincheonji]
Shincheonji General Assembly Chairman Lee Man-hee [Shincheonji]

Police have launched an investigation into allegations that a prison guard leaked internal detention records while Shincheonji General Assembly Chairman Lee Man-hee was held at a detention center.

The Suwon Paldal Police Station in Gyeonggi Province received the case Wednesday after the Correctional Headquarters filed a criminal complaint against the guard, police said.

The Correctional Headquarters filed the complaint after confirming in mid-July that Lee's detention information had been passed to the Shincheonji organization.

The guard, believed to be a Shincheonji member, is suspected of leaking records to the church while Lee was held at Suwon Detention Center in 2020, when he was indicted and detained on charges of obstructing COVID-19 quarantine efforts.

Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho said July 3 that he had launched an emergency inspection of detention facilities and would pursue legal accountability.


arin@heraldcorp.com