Editing Shincheonji Church of Jesus (section)

==Membership==

In 2014, it was estimated to have over 120,000 members,<ref name="Tik7z">{{cite web |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2015/09/293_164816.html |title=Controversial religious group holds int'l peace event in Seoul |date=18 September 2014 |publisher=[[The Korea Times]]}}</ref> while a 2020 estimate put membership at around 200,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/25/coronavirus-south-korea-to-test-200000-sect-members-as-pandemic-fears-hit-markets|title=Coronavirus: South Korea to test 200,000 sect members as pandemic fears hit markets|last=Farrer|first=Martin|date=25 February 2020|access-date=26 February 2020|work=The Guardian}}</ref> It was once the fastest-growing religious church in South Korea.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sang-Hun|first=Choe|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/world/asia/south-korea-coronavirus-shincheonji.html|title='Proselytizing Robots': Inside South Korean Church at Outbreak's Center|date=2020-03-10|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2020-03-20|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In March 2020, health authorities of the [[Government of South Korea]] investigating the [[Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19 pandemic]] officially declared to the press that they obtained an exact list of 317,320 registered Shincheonji members.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-southkorea-murder/murder-probe-sought-for-south-korea-sect-at-center-of-coronavirus-outbreak-idUSKBN20P07Q |title= Murder probe sought for South Korea sect at center of coronavirus outbreak |last= Cha |first= Sangmi |date= 1 March 2020 |website= [[Reuters]] |access-date= 2 March 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kim |first1=Victoria |title=Secrecy is paramount for South Korean sect linked to coronavirus surge. Many believers are in SoCal |url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-03-02/secrecy-was-paramount-for-south-korean-sect-behind-surging-coronavirus-infections-including-in-socal |access-date=6 March 2020 |website= [[Los Angeles Times]] |date=2020-03-02}}</ref>