A South Korea–based new religious movement founded by Lee Man-hee, which became internationally known in early 2020 after a member's case triggered a major COVID-19 outbreak cluster.
Lee Man-hee founded Shincheonji Church of Jesus in South Korea in 1984, teaching that he is a messianic figure and that the church’s roughly 144,000 members will be saved at the end of the world. The group has drawn longstanding criticism for secretive recruitment practices, encouraging members to conceal their affiliation from family, and discouraging contact with outside religious groups.
In February 2020, a Shincheonji member in Daegu, South Korea, became a “super-spreader” case linked to thousands of COVID-19 infections, thrusting the group into international headlines and prompting a South Korean government investigation into Lee Man-hee and church leadership over the handling of the outbreak and member data.