Ruling party leader Kim Min-seok's decision to reverse his claim of collusion between party lawmakers and a religious sect has fueled internal divisions and backlash among the main opposition. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) had planned to announce the results of an internal investigation into allegations that followers of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a nonmainstream religious sect, joined the party to sway the outcome of the party leadership race, but a briefing planned for Tuesday to make such an announcement was canceled at the last minute. The party leader, Rep. Kim, instead apologized at a closed-door meeting of party lawmakers, saying the party found no evidence to support his earlier claim that the registration of the members were orchestrated between the church and lawmakers who were not aligned with President Lee Jae Myung. Kim first raised the allegations in July ahead of the party's Aug. 17 leadership election, claiming that an anti-Lee faction had secretly colluded with Shincheonji in a remark widely seen as targeting former leader Jung Chung-rae. The issue res