2026-08-28

Biography of LMH

This is primarily based on: http://www.dspck.or.kr/board/view.do?currentpagenum=8&iboardgroupseq=3&iboardmanagerseq=60&iboardseq=3732&irefamily=3732&ireseq=0&searchitem=&searchvalue=&utm_source=chatgpt.com

http://www.christianworld.or.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=11648

Childhood and teens (1931 to 1950)

Lee Man-hee was born July 13, 1931 (lunar calendar), at 702 Hyeon-ri, Punggak-myeon, Cheongdo-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do. He is the sixth of eleven siblings (ten sons and one daughter) to his father, Lee Jae-moon and his mother, Go Sang-geum.

During his infancy, he grew up as an ordinary country boy in his hometown, and at the age of 17, while staying at his older brother's house in Geumho-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul and working at a construction site, he was led by an evangelist one day and began his life of faith by being baptized at a tent church in front of Changgyeongwon.

Twenties (1951 to 1960)

From May 1952 to April 1953 [age 21 to 22], he served in the Korean war : https://www.yna.co.kr/amp/view/AKR20200304110751504

Afterwards, he returned to his hometown and began his religious life in earnest while attending Punggak Presbyterian Church. Then, in 1957, after avidly reading evangelistic tracts titled "Mr. Park's Spirit" and "Student's Writing Reader" at home, he had a mystical experience one evening. Lee Man-hee, who initially did not know how to pray, was praying with his eyes open toward the sky in the field behind his house when a star suddenly descended high above his head and spun around like a helicopter. Startled, he hurriedly woke his sleeping father and shouted, "Father! Look at the star!"

Around the age of 27 [1958], he heard the doctrine of "Living Water," a cure-all, at the [Jeon Do Kwan of Park Tae-sun/ Olive Tree Movement]—who called himself the Victor, the Olive Tree, and the Two Witnesses—and went to the Punggak Jeon Do Kwan for leprosy treatment. (He lied about this in his testimony, claiming he went to the Jeon Do Kwan under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.)

Due to leprosy, he has no eyebrows, his hair has turned white, he has no beard, and he wears dentures; he continues to receive periodic injections to this day.

After moving from Punggak to the Faith Village/ Cheonbugyo in Sosa, Gyeonggi-do, he learned brick-making skills at the Jeon Do Kwan for about 10 years and performed arduous labor alongside Yoo Cheon-soon, enduring great hardship.

His wife, Yu Cheon-sun, was from the same hometown and lived in the town of Hyeon-ri. They married after being introduced and lived together in the Faith Village. While commuting to Seoul to work as a construction plasterer, he was deeply impressed by the sermon of Yu Jae-yeol of the Tabernacle Temple and transferred his religious affiliation to the Tabernacle Temple located on Mt. Cheonggye. People who had left the Jeonbogwan were already at the Tabernacle Temple, and many more joined thereafter.

Thirties (1960 to 1970)

Around the autumn of 1968 [age 37], he was moved by Yoo Jae-yeol's sermon and joined the Tabernacle Temple. He devoted himself to labor as a laborer, undertaking tasks such as construction and security for the residents.

During this time, he became acquainted with Kim Poong-il (self-proclaimed Comforter) and Gu In-hoe (self-proclaimed Second Coming of Jesus), who were formerly from the Jeon Do Gwan and were also present at the Tabernacle Temple. (Gu In-hoe, Kim Poong-il, and Lee Man-hee were classmates from both the Jeon Do Gwan and the Tabernacle Temple, and they each founded and opened their own churches in 1970, 1974, and 1980, respectively.)

On November 30, 1969—three and a half years after the founding of the Tabernacle Temple on June 1, 1966—around the time when the doomsday prophecy was coming to an end, Mok Young-deuk, formerly of the Unification Church, secretly infiltrated the Tabernacle Temple.

Later, Mok Young-deuk held a rally in Boeun, North Chungcheong Province, and Chairman Lee Man-hee and members of the Temple of the Tabernacle attended the meeting he presided over. Upon learning of this, the Temple of the Tabernacle issued an order of excommunication against Chairman Lee Man-hee, and Chairman Lee Man-hee and the Temple of the Tabernacle clashed in opposition to this decision.

According to records of the incident in 1971, members of the Tabernacle Temple assaulted Chairman Lee Man-hee, and Chairman Lee Man-hee filed a complaint against those who assaulted him. Among them was Michael, known as one of the seven angels, and cult leader Yoo Jae-yeol also admitted that he and Chairman Lee Man-hee had filed mutual lawsuits and complaints at that time.

It is said that after being excommunicated from the Tabernacle Temple around 1971, he returned to his hometown, but when Mok Young-deuk (목영득은), who called himself Shiloh, established the Eighth Day Church (제8일 교회) in the Suyu-ri area of ​​Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, Chairman Lee Man-hee went up there and was adopted as the sixth son. 5)

Lee Man-hee followed Mok Young-deuk, who claimed to be both God and Shiloh, under the guidance of Song Dong-won, the evangelism team leader, and Caleb Shim Jae-kwon, the laborer team leader. Meanwhile, Yoo Jae-yeol, the leader of the Tabernacle Temple and a young servant, publicly excommunicated them, labeling them as apostates who had formed a faction. After spending about six months with them, he left and returned to his hometown in the countryside around 1970.

Note: The start date of the Tabernacle Temple is June 1, 1966. The "tabernacle," which Shincheonji refers to as the predecessor of the Tabernacle Temple, was built from June 1 to June 24, 1966. In 1966, people called this tabernacle the "Tabernacle" and the chapel built afterward the "Temple." Therefore, the two names were combined to form the "Tabernacle Temple."

Consequently, the claim made by Shincheonji that he ascended the tabernacle on February 17, 1966, and received nurturing from the Holy Spirit for 100 days is completely unfounded.

Fourties (1970 to 1980)

It is said that after returning to his hometown, Lee Man-hee devoted himself to studying the Bible and enjoyed reciting scripture verses, leading the villagers to give him the nickname "Hallelujah." As can be seen from this story, it is evident that Lee Man-hee did not master the Bible by receiving revelations all at once by devouring the Bible, but rather memorized it through repetitive study; it is also clearly evident that he continues to interpret and use the Bible in a self-serving manner to this day.

During the period from 1970 to 1977 [age 39 to 46], while traveling to and from Seoul, he encountered the 'Doctrine of Reality' of Gu In-hoe (Kingdom of Heaven Gospel Evangelism Association, Feast of Tabernacles Church), who appeared as a self-proclaimed Second Coming of Jesus in 1970, and the 'Pairing of the Word Parable Interpretation' doctrine of Kim Pung-il (Shiloh Lighthouse Church, New Light Lighthouse Church), who appeared as another Counselor in 1974, which he later imitated and appropriated in Shincheonji.

Baek Man-bong, who was one of the seven angels of the Tabernacle Temple and later became a disciple of Lee Man-hee, briefly served as an instructor at Mok Young-deuk's '8th Day Church' established in Suyu-ri under the guidance of Shim Jae-kwon and Song Dong-won after parting ways with Yoo Jae-yeol (self-proclaimed Mok Young-deuk as God and Shiloh, Song Dong-won as the Second Coming of Jesus, Shin Young-chul as Cain, and Shim Jae-kwon and Lee Young-gil as the Two Witnesses). Then, in 1977, he established the 'Re-creation Church' in Malli-dong, Seoul (Yoo Jae-yeol as First Creation - Baek Man-bong as Re-creation), proclaimed himself as the 'Counselor coming in the name of the Lord,' the 'Victor,' the 'Two Witnesses,' and 'God the Father,' and declared a limited lifespan from January 1977 to March 13, 1980.

In 1976 [age 45], Lee Man-hee visited Baek Man-bong, who was in Dobong-dong without a church at the time, but Baek Man-bong told him to stay in the countryside until he called him, so Lee Man-hee went back to the countryside.
Around the end of 1977 [age 46], Baek Man-bong sent Jeon Hae-in and Jo Young-hwan, who had been his disciples and were close to Lee Man-hee, to Cheongdo to bring Lee Man-hee back to Seoul.

Baek Man-bong appointed Ji Jae-seop (currently the head of the Peter Tribe), Kim Dae-won (Ji Jae-seop's brother-in-law), Hong Jong-hyo (one of the two witnesses who still gives false testimony in Shincheonji), and Lee Young-gil as the Seven Messengers; he appointed Lee Man-hee, Lee Man-chun (Lee Man-hee's older brother, the ninth of 11 siblings), Jo Young-hwan (leader of the 12 Apostles), Lee Chan-seon, Shim Jae-kwon, and Shim Jae-sik as the Twelve Apostles; and he also appointed 24 Elders.
At that time, it is said that Lee Man-hee had the nickname "Eunuch" because he had no beard.

In September 1979 [age 48], when about 120 people gathered in Sadang-dong, Baek Man-bong preached as if prophesying that Lee Man-hee was like the 'Tribe of Dan' among the 12 Apostles and like 'Judas Iscariot,' and he delivered a similar sermon once more in Indeokwon later on.

On March 13, 1980 [age 49], the final day with a limited timeframe for the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven, about 120 people pitched tents on the mountain in front of the racetrack and waited at noon, but nothing happened. Baek Man-bong, who appeared late, declared, "You have all worked hard. As of today, I am ending the Lord's work. And I will ascend to heaven within three days. I will return all the offerings you have given so far." Enraged by this, Lee Man-hee's wife, Yoo Cheon-soon, protested strongly and engaged in a physical altercation. Furthermore, Baek Man-bong, enraged by Lee Man-hee's sudden change in attitude, got out of his car while driving and slapped Lee Man-hee three times.

Lee Man-hee is concealing these facts with lies, and recently, he has even altered actual dates, clearly demonstrating his nature as a lying child of the devil. Regarding the truth of the Revelation Chapters 2-3 letter incident, Hong Jong-hyo was the primary author of most of the letters, and Lee Man-hee only wrote one or two after being reprimanded by Hong Jong-hyo, who said, "You try writing one too!" The content of the letters contained Yoo Jae-yeol's private matters, which were completely different from the content of Revelation Chapters 2 and 3. As this was proven to be false, Lee Man-hee and Hong Jong-hyo were sentenced to prison for spreading false information and defamation.

Common sense dictates that if they had written the letters in accordance with the contents of Revelation Chapters 2 and 3, they would not have been punished under Korea's current laws, which broadly guarantee the freedom of religious criticism. Therefore, Lee Man-hee and Hong Jong-hyo were punished for defamation by slandering an individual with false information, regardless of the Bible, and were sentenced to prison.

Ask the seven messengers of the Tabernacle Temple, known as the Seven Stars of Revelation, whether anyone other than Yoo Jae-yeol actually received the letter!
What is the reason for the back-and-forth between Yoo In-gu and Shin Jong-hwan regarding the reality of the Seven Stars? Is the sender's confusion over not knowing the recipient due to dementia, or is it an unestablished lie?

Fifties (1981 to 1990)

Lee Man-hee and Hong Jong-hyo were arrested on October 27, 1980, at the Starbucks next to the Scala Theater in Myeongdong, transported to Taeneung Police Station, and detained in a correctional facility before being released on February 2, 1981 [age 50], after 98 days. Claims regarding the Samcheong Education Camp or various hardships and suffering are false, and it is said that those in their 50s at the time were excluded even from severe tasks.

From late 1983 [age 52], when his three-year probationary period ended, until early 1984, Hong Jong-hyo, prepared to die for his cause, once again obtained address directories for Yoo Jae-yeol, the Tabernacle Temple, and numerous churches both domestically and internationally, and sent nearly 10,000 letters via registered mail.
Around this time, Lee Man-hee disappeared without a trace. Enraged by this, Hong Jong-hyo inquired around and learned that Lee was at Guksabong. He went there to verify the situation and was furious to find Lee Man-hee at the residence of Grandmother Cha So-nyeo, accompanied by Shin Sang-hoon (the creator of Religious World Interests, whom Lee Man-hee claims is the substance of the pale horse in Revelation Chapter 6). It turned out that Lee Man-hee had fled to Guksabong out of fear of being arrested again once Hong Jong-hyo began sending letters.

Later, Lee Man-hee lied, claiming that he had received revelations during this period and had written two books before coming down.
Kim Geon-nam and Kim Byeong-hee, former members of the Saengnyeong Church—a spin-off of the Unification Church led by Jin Jin-hwa—were captivated by the so-called 'Reality Doctrine' (based on the Tabernacle Temple) heard from Lee Man-hee. Inspired by this, they grafted and mixed the 'Reality Doctrine' onto Unification Church and Saengnyeong Church doctrines to author the doctrinal book 'Shintan' and the commentary 'The Truth of Revelation,' which offered their own interpretations of the Book of Revelation.

Consequently, 'Shintan' was published [1985 - age 54] as a co-authored work by Kim Byeong-hee and Kim Geon-nam, while 'The Truth of Revelation' was published as written by Lee Man-hee with Kim Byeong-hee acting as the ghostwriter. Having come across these unimaginable gems(?), Lee Man-hee published them under the name of Shincheonji Publishing, expecting them to become bestsellers, and distributed them to famous bookstores nationwide, such as Kyobo Bookstore and Jongno Bookstore.

However, contrary to expectations, sales were poor, leading to a price reduction from 9,000 won to 6,000 won for distribution. Despite the fact that those two books were even donated to every university library in Seoul, they are shamelessly lying that they were discarded due to defects.
Kim Geon-nam, who joined in 1985 and was renowned as a brilliant lecturer, met Lee Man-hee for the last time at a coffee shop about a year after experiencing him up close, and left the organization after leaving the following words:
“I am dressing a beggar in royal robes before I leave.”

Afterward, Lee Man-hee partially revised The Truth of Revelation, listed himself as the author, and published several copies that were essentially the same book, forcing all Shincheonji members to purchase them. The reason is that since they sell books costing 2,000 to 3,000 won for 10,000 to 15,000 won, the profit is substantial even if only 30,000 to 40,000 copies are sold!
Note: If you examine the materials Yoon Jae-myeong used to teach the "Reality" at Guksabong, are you aware that he taught that Shintan and The Truth of Revelation were written by Lee Man-hee himself?

Sixties (1991 to 2000)

Judging by the fact that Lee Man-hee, while a disciple of Baek Man-bong, often said, "It is fine if Baek Man-bong succeeds, and it is fine if he fails. If he fails, I will succeed," it is evident that he had already been waiting for the right time. This is confirmed by the fact that, as soon as the imminent doomsday prophecy failed to materialize, about ten people who had left Baek Man-bong—including Yang Eul-gyu, Hong Jong-hyo, Kim Jong-taek, and Lee Man-chun—held their first worship service at Lee Man-hee's house in Indeokwon on March 14 and officially opened Shincheonji, as if they had been waiting for this moment. On that day, Hong Jong-hyo offered a representative prayer, and Lee Man-hee preached on Revelation Chapter 1, testifying that he was "the Apostle John."

As they moved their headquarters from Lee Man-hee's house in Deokwon, to the house of Elder Moses Shin Jong-hwan, to the basement of Dongsan Apartments, and finally to Bisan-dong, the fraudulent activities of the cult leader began with a prophecy regarding the formation of the throne and the completion of the imminent history of rest on the seventh day following the six-day creation.

Lee Man-hee also initially imitated the First Tabernacle, identifying the Seven Angels as Lee Man-hee, Hong Jong-hyo, Hong Jong-gi, Lee Jong-ho, Shin Mun-bae, Lee Chan-seon, and Jang Hee-moon, and engaged in childish antics such as replacing them with new people whenever one person left. The same applied to the 12 Apostles and 24 Elders, making their behavior quite a spectacle to behold. There was a time when expectations were high, as he interpreted "1 day = 1 year," viewing 1981 as the first day of the six-day creation in Genesis Chapter 1, and declaring September 14, 1987, as the seventh day—the day when the eternal immortality of the union of man (spirit) and woman (flesh) would be achieved.

Finally, that day arrived, but it passed quietly. Then, one day in 1988 [age 57], a year later, Lee Man-hee summoned several believers, including Elder Oh Cheon-pyeong (nickname), who had come to Shincheonji after passing through the Jeon Do Kwan and the Tabernacle Temple, and had them sign pledges. Believers who had signed the memorandum without fully understanding its contents were outraged when they later realized that the statement read, “I have never heard Reverend Lee Man-hee say that he would complete this history by the seventh day, September 14, 1987.” As a result of this incident, about 20 of them defected and went to Jo Hee-sung’s Eternal Life Church in Yeokgok.

To cover up the failure of the "prophecy of the completion of history with a time limit," Lee Man-hee slyly glossed over the issue with a cunning lie, claiming that since the first day of Genesis did not begin in 1981 but rather the days, seasons, and years were established on the fourth day, the dates had to be recalculated starting from 1984.
As the postponed day drew near, the Sabbath of the seventh day of the six-day creation in Genesis was gradually changed from "1 day = 1 year" to "1 day = 1,000 years," and with the establishment of the Free Theological Institute in the 1990s, the time limit became a fading issue. Based on his experience at that time, Lee Man-hee never sets a time limit, but instead encourages and entices believers with cunning tactics such as saying, "Just in two or three years," or "Once the 144,000 are filled."

As a result, look at who among the early believers remains today, aside from those who were deeply brainwashed for a long time by heretical doctrines under cult leaders: Yoon Yo-han (real name Yoon Yong-sik) and Brother Yoon Jae-myung (currently senior pastor of Dongdaemun Church and Hwajung Church), both formerly of Jeon Do Kwan and Jangmak Seongjeon; Ji Jae-seop (current head of the Peter Tribe), a disciple of Baek Man-bong from Jangmak Seongjeon; Lee Bok-young (former president of Zion Christian Theological Seminary), formerly of Saengnyeong Church, a Unification Church offshoot; and Cho O-ja (formerly head of the OO Department at the General Headquarters and the John Tribe), a follower of Baek Man-bong who divorced and paid all her alimony.
Jo O-ja (who was once the head of the OO Department at the General Assembly Headquarters and the John Tribe), who came to Lee Man-hee from Baek Man-bong around 1983, was the first woman to receive Lee Man-hee's love. It is a widely known secret within Shincheonji that, due to this, Lee Man-hee's wife, Yoo Cheon-soon, and Jo O-ja remain enemies to this day.

The Gyeogam Yurok (*) is a forged text created by Park Tae-seon's close associates to elevate him to the status of the Savior, True Man, Jeong Do-ryeong, the Victor, and the Olive Tree; yet, it is highly regarded as a doctrinal text by derivative groups of the Jeon Do Gwan, such as Cho Hee-seong's Eternal Life Church and Lee Young-soo's Eden Assembly. Lee Man-hee has also frequently cited the Gyeogam Yurok since the early days. Furthermore, he framed the contents of Nam Sag-go's Chapter on Prophecies and the Gyeogam Yurok, stamped them with his seal identifying himself as "Lee Man-hee, the Witness of Revelation," and sold and distributed them; consequently, quite a few believers possess these framed copies in their homes. Even more absurd is that he included the contents of the Gyeogam Yurok as an appendix to his commentary on the Book of Revelation, 'The Truth of Revelation'; thus, for anyone who knows that the Gyeogam Yurok is a forged text, Lee Man-hee's true identity is self-evident. Citing the prophecy in the Gyeokam Yurok that Jeongdoryeong Gusejinin would have no heir, and referencing the mention of "eunuchs" in the Gospel of Matthew, Lee Man-hee explains that his childlessness is also a fulfillment of prophecy. Consequently, believers who believe Lee Man-hee is beardless and childless question his womanizing, asking how a eunuch could possibly have issues with women. However, the lack of a beard is caused by leprosy, and the issue of childlessness is easily resolved if one realizes that the problem lies not with Lee Man-hee, but with his wife, Yoo Cheon-soon, who is infertile. Even more shocking is the fact that Lee Man-hee has a daughter with a woman other than Yoo Cheon-soon! Therefore, the "Lee Man-hee Eunuch Theory" is a highly calculated rumor intended to quell the issue of women and to deify Lee Man-hee.

Seventies (2001 to 2010)

Eighties (2011 to 2020)

Nineties (2021 to 2030)