According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun and other outlets, Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok said on the party’s official YouTube channel on October 14 that members of the Shincheonji sect had joined the party collectively to a considerable degree. Kim added that some people have given testimony of organized involvement in the August 17 party convention. The remarks have revived the rivalry between Kim and Rep. Chung Chung-rae from the July leadership race, nicknamed the ‘Kim-Chung war.’

Most of what has been reported, however, is Kim’s own account and the reaction to it; no investigation document or membership list has been released. Shincheonji’s position could not be found in the reports reviewed and remains unconfirmed. What follows separates confirmed statements from claims.

How the inquiry came about and Kim’s account

According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun, after taking office Kim set up a membership-cleanup task force headed by Supreme Council member Park Seon-won, and the inquiry wrapped up around the start of the parliamentary audit and was reported first to the Supreme Council. Kim said considerable collective enrollment had been confirmed and that there is testimony about involvement in the convention. He said he could not recall the exact number and that the 30,000 to 50,000 figure carried in some media reports is not accurate.

How to release the findings has not been decided. Kim said the options range from a Supreme Council briefing to a caucus meeting and beyond, adding that the party’s investigative tools are limited and that political considerations and other pending matters delayed a full discussion. Kim Tae-seon, chief of staff to the party leader, said leadership would deliberate further before deciding, and a closed Supreme Council meeting was reportedly held that evening.

Background: the July ‘three-way secret alliance’ remark

The roots of the remarks go back to July. According to the Weekly Kyunghyang, Kim, then a leadership candidate, said on MBC Radio that Shincheonji was an obstacle to the party’s normal path and that he would release evidence at an appropriate time. The day before, at a joint rally, he had said breaking a three-way secret alliance of ‘anti-Lee forces, divisionism and Shincheonji’ was the essence of the convention, which some read as aimed at Chung’s camp and which caused controversy.

No concrete evidence was offered then, so whether the new findings support that claim is the central question. In this round Kim spoke only of collective enrollment and testimony about convention involvement; he did not say he had confirmed any alliance with a particular political faction. It has therefore not been reported that the ‘three-way secret alliance’ has been substantiated.

Pushback from Chung’s allies and a divided party

Chung said the findings should be released as they are rather than covered up, adding that if a secret alliance exists it should be punished and if not, those who sowed division should take responsibility. Supreme Council member Han Min-su said what he was told verbally in early October was only circumstantial evidence from list matching, demanded the process, results and evidence, and said Kim should answer for it if the alliance claim is false. Supreme Council member Lee Seong-yun questioned how the Shincheonji material suddenly reached the press and urged that whoever leaked non-public matters be found, while Choi Min-hee questioned whether making such accusations is normal.

Opinion among lawmakers is split too. According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun, some say the matter should be closed quickly unless collusion is proven, others say religious belief alone cannot be a crime, and others say an intent to infiltrate is a legitimate concern that needs settling. How far the findings are disclosed, and whether a causal link between the enrollees and the contest is shown, will shape where the internal feud goes.