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Shincheonji Leaders Lee Man-hee and Kim Nam-hee's Property Dispute Leads to Auction of 'Palace of Peace' Land

[비즈한국] The Palace of Peace, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji) facility located in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi-do, has become a battlefield in a property dispute between Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee and Kim Nam-hee, former head of the International Women's Peace Group. The property dispute began in 2018 when Kim, once considered the second-in-command of Shincheonji, left the organization. It has been confirmed that the conflict now extends to the land surrounding the Palace of Peace, a symbolic building for Shincheonji.

Will the Palace of Peace Land Go to Auction?

The property dispute between Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee and former representative Kim Nam-hee first came to light in 2020. As the two parted ways in 2018, the assets they held together, including real estate and stocks, became the subject of contention. The dispute involved ownership rights to properties including the Palace of Peace, which they had co-owned, shares in the comprehensive cable broadcasting production company 'Aion,' and a villa in Seorak-myeon, Gapyeong. Notably, Kim filed a lawsuit requesting the partition of the co-owned Palace of Peace. In response, Shincheonji filed for a provisional disposition to prohibit the disposal of the property, which the court granted. It is known that Lee and Shincheonji won most of the lawsuits filed at that time.

However, it has been confirmed that Shincheonji and Kim are still currently engaged in a dispute over land adjacent to the Palace of Peace. The disputed land consists of four plots near the Palace of Peace, totaling over 570 pyeong (approx. 1,895 square meters).

The dispute began in November 2021 when Shincheonji filed a lawsuit against Kim, requesting the partition of the four co-owned plots of land belonging to the Palace of Peace (a road plot of 248㎡, forest land of 272㎡, forest land of 1336㎡, and forest land of 39㎡). While Kim requested mediation, it failed, and the lawsuit continued until September 2022. The Seoul Eastern District Court ruled that one of the plots (39㎡ of forest land, about 12 pyeong) should be sold through an auction and the proceeds split equally, but ruled that the remaining three plots could not be partitioned as they were also co-owned by third parties. This meant that only one of the four plots Shincheonji requested to partition could be sold.

Following that lawsuit, Kim filed for an injunction in October 2022 to prohibit the obstruction of the use of co-owned property, claiming that Shincheonji had blocked access to the Palace of Peace. At the time, Kim argued that Shincheonji was infringing on her ownership rights by preventing her representatives from entering the Palace of Peace and requested an injunction to allow access at designated times. However, the court dismissed the application, ruling that Shincheonji’s act of closing the gates and managing the building did not constitute an infringement on Kim’s ownership rights.

Subsequently, in March 2023, Shincheonji filed another partition lawsuit regarding the remaining three plots (the road plot of 248㎡ and the two forest plots of 272㎡ and 1336㎡) against Kim and the other co-owners, identified as A, B, and C.

The court ruled in favor of Shincheonji once again. In November 2023, the Seoul Eastern District Court ruled that it was reasonable to partition the proceeds from the sale according to land ownership stakes and ordered the three plots to be auctioned off.

In response, Kim and the other co-owners (A, B, and C) all appealed in December 2023, and the appellate trial is currently underway. The court has appointed an appraiser to determine the market value, and an appraisal report was submitted in November 2024.

Meanwhile, it is reported that between 2021 and 2022, Shincheonji purchased land and buildings next to the Palace of Peace that had been occupied by civilians to create a 'Peace Park.' As the four plots of land at the Palace of Peace have become a subject of dispute, attention is also shifting toward how the Palace of Peace will be utilized in the future.