Lee Man-hee, 88, founded Tan Thien Dia in 1984 after declaring himself a "prophet" and persuading believers to believe that he was immortal.

South Korea as of February 25 recorded 9 deaths from nCoV, 893 cases, of which more than half were related to members of the New Heavenly sect, an organization founded by Lee Man-hee 36 years ago. This is a controversial religious organization in Korea and many countries around the world, which is considered by the mainstream churches.

Lee was born in 1931 in the city of Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province. Before founding Tan Thien Dia, he was a member of the Olive Tree group, which was also considered by her Korean orthodox churches to have attracted a large number of followers in the 1960s and Tent Temple, which collapsed. in the 1970s after its leader was accused of fraud.

Lee then gathered a number of Tent Temple followers to establish Jesus Tan Thien Church, considering 1984, the year the sect was founded, as "the year the universe completed an orbit and returned to the starting point". Lee proclaimed himself a prophet to shoulder the responsibility of the Lord and Jesus appeared brightly before his eyes.

Lee asserts that the Bible is metaphorically written and only he can explain it and understand it. He also said that he could truly understand God only if he followed and listened to the teachings of the New Heaven and he was able to save 144,000 people during the Day of Judgment by taking them to heaven.

To entice followers, Lee said that "new heaven and earth" will begin in South Korea and when the number of rescued people reaches 144,000, the New Heavenly Age will begin in Gua Chun. At that time, the souls of 144,000 people will enter the bodies of 144,000 New Heavenly Saints.

Lee also asserted that he would never die and the followers who followed him would also enjoy this "immortality of flesh". However, he was described by many other Christian groups as "false prophets".

After the New Heavenly sect became a major outbreak in Korea, Lee Man-hee sent messages to the followers in an internal application. "This disease is caused by demons to stop the rapid development of the new Heavenly Yard," he wrote.

Lee urged followers to obey instructions from government agencies and avoid gathering. "The victims of the plague are now Tan Thien Dia believers," he said. "We will overcome this challenge."

The sect blamed the 61-year-old female believer, known as "Patient 31" for spreading nCoV when attending church services. They said from the end of January advising believers to stay home if they have symptoms and explain that "Patient 31" told them she only had the common cold. She still attended church even after having a fever.

"Her actions are not surprising to those who understand the New Paradise," said expert Chung Yun-seok. "To them, being sick is a sin because it prevents them from serving God."

Ji-il Tark, an expert at the Busan Elder Church University in South Korea, said the New Heavenly devotees were more susceptible to the virus because they used to sit very close to each other during the ceremony. In Tan Thien Dia, attending sectarian gatherings "is a mandatory requirement," he said.

Former member Lee Ho-yeon confirmed some sectarian rules that made the members particularly vulnerable. Believers sit very close to each other, sing hymns aloud and are not allowed to wear glasses or masks when performing the ceremony. "We were taught not to be afraid of disease," she added. "We were taught not to care about mundane things like work, ambition or passion. Everything is focused on recruiting more members, even when we are sick."

"To spread the faith, believers often draw relatives, acquaintances or secrets to churches to entice other denominations without telling them that they are members of the New Heavenly Yard," Tark said. .

The Baptist Church in Manipur, India, has warned its followers to avoid being lured by the Tan Thien Dia. They said that after joining the organization, believers "did not care about family and friends, abandoned other churches, neglected their jobs or dropped out of school and quit their jobs".

On the outskirts of Seoul's Guri-si, pastor Shin Hyun-wook said his life's mission was to advise former cult members. Shin used to be a New Heavenly believer, believed in Lee Man-hee's preaching for 20 years and became his confidant before "disillusionment" and left the organization in 2007. He described Lee as bossy, authoritarian and increasingly "self-attached" as the number of believers increased.

In addition to the New Heavenly Sect, Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo District, North Gyeongsang Province, is the second-most recorded place in Korea. Lee Man-hee's brother in January was treated here on January 27-31 before his death and a funeral was later held in the hospital.

Tan Thien Dia last weekend rejected criticism, saying it was "slander based on sectarian prejudices." Sectarian spokeswoman Kim Young-eun said the group never urged anyone to quit school or quit their jobs. "If these allegations are true, then Tan Thien Dia has been sentenced."

Tan Thien Dia stressed them to be "just victims" and called on people not to hate. The cult has provided a list of more than 9,000 members in the Daegu branch to the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In an interview with PRI correspondent Matthew Bell in 2017, when asked about the vision that led to the founding of New Heaven, Lee said he did not want to talk about it. "There are a lot of people who misunderstand me and also try to spread false information about Tianjin", Lee said. "I want to talk about peace activities more."

On Lee's business card were the titles of the chairman of the Paradise Cultural Organization, World Peace and Light Restoration and the MANNAM Volunteer Association. Critics call these front groups for Tan Thien Dia but Lee insists he wants to dedicate for peace.

Lee explained that the Father works for peace, his son Jesus works for peace, and now, Lee is an international peace activist. Lee asserts that he is doing the will of God as indicated in the Bible.

The cult leader mentioned that he had drafted a declaration to end all global wars. The text was etched on a large slab in the backyard of Tan Thien Dia's villa on the outskirts of Seoul. Lee said the statement has been widely accepted around the world. "No country or person in the world has never heard of my work," he said.

Lee argues that prominent Christian leaders in South Korea and elsewhere criticized Lee for being jealous of him, as his sect grew. Lee sees those criticisms as evidence that he is on the right track. He cited Jesus being persecuted by religious leaders. "My critics have no connection with God. They don't understand the Bible," he said.

Before leaving, Bell asked Lee a sensitive question: "Who will take over after his death?". Lee's translator seemed a bit nervous and confused when translating the question.

"I don't know," Lee replied. "What a pointless question".