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| Kim Pyung-wha, right, speaks to Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee during the press conference on Monday. Yonhap |
Who is she? That question would have been in the minds of people who watched Monday's press conference by Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee.
The woman ― looking calm and modest with a mask covering the lower half of her face ― served as the "ears" of the self-proclaimed messiah, 89, relaying questions from reporters. When Lee rambled a reply to unexpected questions like "Do you believe you are really immortal?" or "Do you believe the coronavirus epidemic is the act of evil?" she quietly cut in and whispered how to respond.
As sensitive questions continued, she stopped Lee speaking and suggested ending the conference ― and the church leader acted accordingly.
On Tuesday, snippets of the woman's identity and presumed role ― in the mysterious sect at the center of public condemnation for its substantial contribution to the epidemic ― emerged.
Her name is Kim Pyung-wha ("Pyungwha" means peace in Korean) although it is not certain if that is her real name. She has been Lee's secretary for more than a decade, handling the church's administrative issues. Kim is said to be the Shincheonji leader's closest aide. Her age, marital status and other details remain unknown.
"She is one of Lee's most trusted advisers," a former Shincheonji follower told CBS, a Christian broadcasting network in Korea.
Pastor Jin Yong-sik, an anti-Shincheonji campaigner, said Kim was a "rising sun" in the sect, wielding massive influence on church management.
Byeon Sang-wook, a senior journalist who has explored Shincheonji for many years, told a radio program that founder Lee was "nothing more than a symbolic figure" in the church because he was too old. Management was actually in the hands of young, director-level followers, including Kim, according to Byeon.
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