(2nd LD) Headquarters of main opposition party raided over alleged mass recruitment of Shincheonji religious group

▲ A member of a joint investigation team stands in the lobby of the People Power Party's headquarters in western Seoul on Feb. 27, 2026, after the team launched a raid on the office. (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) PPP headquarters-raid

(2nd LD) Headquarters of main opposition party raided over alleged mass recruitment of Shincheonji religious group

(ATTN: UPDATES with end of raid; CHANGES photo)

By Chae Yun-hwan

SEOUL, Feb. 27 (Yonhap) -- Investigators on Friday raided the headquarters of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) over allegations of mass recruitment of followers of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a nonmainstream religious sect, legal sources said.

A joint team of police investigators and prosecutors arrived at the PPP's office in western Seoul in the morning to carry out a search and seizure of materials, including the party's membership list, according to the sources.

About 11 hours later, however, the PPP said the team had withdrawn "empty-handed" after engaging in a standoff.

"I understand that they did not take any seized items or specific objects from not only the party headquarters but also the database company," PPP senior spokesperson Park Sung-hoon told reporters.

The sect is accused of forcing its followers to join the PPP with the aim of influencing the results of the party's presidential primary in 2021 and the party's candidate nominations for the 2024 general elections.

The joint team is said to have secured statements from former Shincheonji officials that the church encouraged its followers to join the PPP under a project dubbed "Pilates" and tens of thousands of them actually became dues-paying members of the party.

Park issued a statement after the raid was launched, accusing the team of conducting a targeted investigation against the PPP, when allegations have also been raised of links between the sect and the ruling Democratic Party.

The joint investigation was launched last month to investigate allegations of corrupt ties between religious groups and politicians.

The team has been investigating Shincheonji on suspicions of violating the Political Parties Act over allegations of intervening in the PPP's membership management and the party's decision-making process.

It raided the group's headquarters and other facilities last month.

Shincheonji has denied all allegations, including those about the mass enrollment into the PPP and intervention in the party's candidate nominations.

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