21 members of unregistered Singapore chapter of South Korean 'cult' arrested: MHA

SINGAPORE - Twenty-one men and women from the unregistered local chapter of a secretive South Korean church were arrested for allegedly being members of an unlawful society, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday (Nov 11).

The nine men, aged between 22 and 31 years old, and 12 women, aged between 21 and 49 years old, were arrested by police officers from the Criminal Investigation Department on Monday, said the MHA.

Preliminary investigations revealed that they had allegedly re-engaged in activities connected to the unregistered local chapter of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, known as SCJ, which has been called a cult in several countries.

Another group of nine women, aged between 22 and 52, and two men, aged 23 and 36 years old, are assisting the police with investigations.

Founded by South Korean national Lee Man-hee in 1984, the church has been accused of being a cult in several countries due to its unorthodox teachings, said the MHA.

Mr Lee allegedly regards all other churches and pastors as belonging to Satan. He has also claimed to be the second coming of Christ who will take 144,000 people to heaven with him on the Day of Judgment, said the ministry.

Mr Lee has also claimed to be the only person who can interpret the Bible, while SCJ teaches that it is acceptable to use deceit and lies if it serves God's purposes, said the MHA.

"It has been accused of infiltrating and disrupting established Korean churches by using deception and secrecy to trick people into becoming involved with them," it added.

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In February, five South Korean nationals who held key positions in the local chapter were repatriated from Singapore and the group's front entities were dissolved, following the MHA's investigations earlier this year into the group's activities, said the ministry on Wednesday.

The MHA had earlier investigated the group's activities in February for using deceptive recruitment methods, similar to the SCJ in South Korea, to exert a controlling influence over Christian youngsters and young adults in Singapore, and to conceal its existence from family members and non-SCJ contacts.

Members of the local chapter were also issued warnings to cease further involvement in the church's activities, or face further action from the authorities, said the MHA.

"As such, CID is investigating members of the local SCJ chapter for potential offences under the Societies Act."

Anyone convicted of being a member of an unlawful society may be jailed up to three years or fined up to $5,000, or both.

"MHA will not allow members of unlawful societies or persons associated with them to threaten Singapore's public safety, peace and good order," the ministry said.

In February, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said the MHA was looking to ban the activities of the local chapter of SCJ. The church in South Korea was at the centre of that country's coronavirus outbreak.

He added that while people in Singapore are free to believe in any religion and to practise it the way that they want, the Government will step in when "it crosses the line into criminality or potential public security issues".

This article was first published in The Straits Times.