A total of 21 members of Shincheonji were arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department on November 9, 2020, for allegedly being members of an unlawful society, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Wednesday, November 11.

This comes barely eight months after the unregistered local chapter of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (SCJ) had been being flagged by the authorities for “deceptive recruitment methods” in Singapore.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the 21 – including 9 men, aged between 22 and 31, and 12 women, aged between 21 and 49 – had allegedly re-engaged in activities connected to Shincheonji, which is headquartered in South Korea, said the MHA.

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

An earlier account told to Salt&Light by a former member of the group, which the MHA notes has “attracted accusations of being a cult”, described how leaders would lure other Christians in with “falsehoods that seemed to be supported by the Bible”.

READ: “THEY SEEMED SO GENUINE”: HOW ONE WOMAN FELL INTO THE TRAP OF ALLEGED SINGAPORE CHAPTER OF SHINCHEONJI

“Founded by South Korean national Lee Man-Hee (Lee) in 1984, SCJ has attracted accusations of being a cult in several countries due to its unorthodox teachings. Based on testimonies of former members, Lee has claimed to be the second coming of Christ, who would bring 144,000 people to Heaven with him on the Day of Judgement,” said the MHA in its statement on Nov 11.

“He has also claimed to be the only person who can interpret the Bible, and SCJ allegedly regards all other churches and pastors as belonging to Satan. SCJ teaches that it is acceptable to use deceit and lies if it serves God’s purposes. It has been accused of infiltrating and disrupting established Korean churches by using deception and secrecy to trick people into becoming involved with them.”

The group had been investigated earlier this year for using deceptive recruitment methods, similar to the SCJ in South Korea. This was done “to exert a controlling influence over Christian youths and young adults in Singapore, and to conceal its existence from family members and non-SCJ contacts”, said the MHA.

Following the earlier investigations, five South Korean nationals who were identified to have held key positions in the local chapter were repatriated in February and the group’s front entities were dissolved. Members of the local chapter were issued warnings to cease further involvement in SCJ activities, or face further action from the authorities.

“In spite of the actions taken, the local SCJ chapter has resumed its activities covertly, under the direction of its South Korean parent chapter. As such, CID is investigating members of the local SCJ chapter for potential offences under the Societies Act,” said the MHA.

Anyone convicted of being a member of an unlawful society is liable to be sentenced to imprisonment for up to 3 years or face a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.