‘Shincheonji’s donation made without prior notice’

The Community Chest of Korea, a local charity, refused donations of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in light of the mounting controversies surrounding the religious sect, the charity said.

In an answer to an inquiry from a lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, the charity said that Shincheonji wired a total of 12 billion won ($10.1 million) Thursday to the group’s two donation accounts, without any consultation with the group beforehand.

Upon transfer, Shincheonji released an official announcement to the press, the charity said, adding, “Not only did we not hear anything about the donations, but there were ethical and legal concerns over them.”

Shincheonji has come under scathing public criticism over allegations it was negligent in helping to contain the coronavirus outbreak, when more than half of the country’s infections were linked to the sect.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government asked the prosecution to investigate Shincheonji, accusing the church of criminally negligent homicide because it had not fully cooperated with health authorities to curb COVID-19. The church withdrew the contributions and gave them to another charity, but that was too rejected.

By Choi Si-young (siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)