Shincheonji leader Lee Man-hee walks back into a training center near his home in Cheongpyong on March 2. [Yonhap Photo]
"I sincerely apologize," Lee said during a televised news conference on Monday outside a Shincheonji training center near his residence in Cheongpyong, a famous riverside resort town east of Seoul. It was his first public appearance since South Korea was hit by the highly contagious virus on January 20. The virus has killed 22 people and left more than 4,200 infected as of early Monday.
Shincheonji Church of Jesus became the target of public fury since a 61-year-old follower was guaranteed on February 17 after attending services at its branch in the southeastern city of Daegu. Some 60 percent of confirmed cases detected in recent days were, directly and indirectly, related to the religious group.
The news conference began when Lee, clad in a silver-gray suit and wearing eyeglasses and a gold-yellow necktie, walked out through big wooden gates amid a cry of anger from several protesters who have relatives victimized by the cult.
"Lee Man-hee is a swindler. Disband Shincheonji," shouted the protesters as the cult leader stammered out an apology. "I'm so ashamed of myself," he said in a shaky voice. He staggered as he stood up after making a bow on the floor and walked back into his seat.
"Forgive me. I never thought that things like this will happen," Lee said. "We all know well that we're wrong," he said, vowing to do his best to help South Korea ride out the current crisis. However, he made an excuse for acting slowly because the shutdown of all Shincheonji church facilities caused the lack of personnel to handle the epidemic.
"I hope you will understand. There are things like housework, as I said. The response was slow. The church is closed, so there are no people," Lee said. He occasionally made gestures like preaching, but he had to consult a young female aide who talked in whispers due to inconsistent remarks that caused confusion.
"The church leader is like the parent and (believers) are like the same as the children. What kind of parent would be just watching when a disease like this is approaching?" he said. "We're doing everything we can to stop this."
Throughout the news conference, he showed a look of nervousness and sometimes annoyance as his speech was disturbed by angry protesters who shouted slogans such as "Send our family members back home."
Shincheonji leader Lee Man-hee is being consulted by his aide during a press conference on March 2. [Yonhap Photo]
"I don't think it's time to judge who's right or wrong. I think someone is mistaken," he said before wrapping up his news conference. He shrugged off a volley of additional questions from journalists and raised his thumb up before being escorted out.
Shincheonji has kept Lee's personal life, family background and location under wraps despite eyewitness evidence that he is living in Cheongpyong which is well known for the holy ground of Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church. Lee's riverside residence has been regarded by followers as a sacred place.
Lee said he had been "here and there" since he arrived in his residence on February 17.
Shincheonji issued a statement on Sunday urging political leaders not to treat it as a criminal group after the Seoul city government filed a complaint with state prosecutors against Shincheonji leaders on charges of homicide, an infliction of injuries and violation of a quarantine law.
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon called for an investigation into Shincheonji leaders for hampering an anti-epidemic campaign by dragging their feet in presenting a correct list of members. "We must investigate them forcibly so that we can deal with infectious disease as soon as possible. If they had taken active measures, they could have prevented a large number of people from dying or getting hurt," Park said in a Facebook post.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
