{
  "id": 4556801,
  "title": "Prosecution-police team wraps up probe into political-religious collusion",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/prosecution-police-team-wraps-up-probe-into-political-religious-4556801",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-31T03:17:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/law-crime/20260831/prosecution-police-team-wraps-up-probe-into-political-religious-collusion"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A joint prosecution-police team concluded its investigation into alleged collusion between politics and religion on Monday, 237 days after it began on January 6. The team made significant strides, including the arrest and indictment of Lee Man-hee, the founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and the seizure of 26 billion won from the private safe of Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja. The investigation sought evidence of Shincheonji's alleged coercion of members into the People Power Party, tax evasion, embezzlement, and illegal donations and embezzlement by the Unification Church. Four Shincheonji officials, including Lee, were arrested and indicted, while 12 others were indicted without detention. The accused were said to have compelled church members to join the People Power Party, aiming to sway election outcomes between 2021 and 2024. Over 56,472 members reportedly joined the People Power Party during this period.",
  "summary": "A joint prosecution-police team investigating suspected collusion between politics and religion concluded its activities Monday, 237 days after its launch on Jan. 6. The team achieved notable results, including the arrest and indictment of Lee Man-hee, founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a nonmainstream religious sect, and the seizure of 26 billion won ($18.9 million) in cash from the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Prosecution-police team wraps up probe into political-religious collusion",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/prosecution-police-team-wraps-up-probe-into-political-religious",
        "published": "2026-08-31T02:16:52.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Prosecution-police team wraps up probe into political-religious collusion",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/prosecution-police-team-wraps-up-probe-into-political-religious-4558184",
        "published": "2026-08-31T03:22:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}