Editing Lee Man-hee (section)

== Early life ==
Lee was born on 15 September 1931 in Punggak-myeon, [[Cheongdo County]], [[North Gyeongsang Province]] ([[Keishōhoku-dō]]), [[Japanese Korea]], [[Empire of Japan]]. Before founding his own religious movement, he was a member of the group known as [[Olive Tree (religious movement)|Olive Tree]] and of another movement called the [[Tabernacle Temple Church|Tabernacle Temple]] (장막성전).<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kim|first1=David W.|last2=Bang|first2=Won-il|date=2019|title=Guwonpa, WMSCOG, and Shincheonji: Three Dynamic Grassroots Groups in Contemporary Korean Christian NRM History|journal=Religions|volume=10|issue=3|pages=212|doi=10.3390/rel10030212|doi-access=free|hdl=1885/204914|hdl-access=free}}.</ref>

Lee claimed to have served as a sergeant in the [[7th Infantry Division (South Korea)|7th Infantry Division]] of the [[Republic of Korea Army]] during the [[Korean War]]; however, there is no clear evidence to support this assertion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20200304_0000943039 |title=이만희, 박근혜 정부 때 참전유공자 등록…83세에 신청, 왜? |access-date=21 June 2024 |date=5 March 2020 |publisher=Newsis }}</ref> After the war, he returned to Punggak Village and worked as a farmer.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2024/january-web-only/shincheonji-new-zealand-korea-christian-church-kr.html |title=뉴질랜드 기독교인을 표적으로 삼은 한국 종파. 교회는 효과적으로 대응했을까? |access-date=21 June 2024 |date=24 January 2024 |publisher=Christianity Today}}</ref>