Seoul: A Seoul court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for the founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a nonmainstream religious sect, over allegations he forced followers to join the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) ahead of elections.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul Central District Court granted the warrant for Lee Man-hee, citing concerns of destruction of evidence, after a prosecution-police task force requested the warrant on charges of obstruction of business and violations of the Political Parties Act. The 94-year-old is suspected of coercing at least 56,472 church members to join the PPP between July 2021 and January 2024 with the intention of influencing the outcomes of the party's presidential primary in 2021 and general election primaries in 2024.

In return for the memberships, Lee allegedly sought favors for the church, including the repurposing of the church building. The period of the alleged forced memberships largely coincides with the time when the PPP was the ruling party, under former President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration. Lee has reportedly denied the allegations.