Taipei: Taiwan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld prison sentences for 10 defendants, including a six-year, eight-month term for temple leader Lee Hui-hsin, who was convicted of recruiting active-duty and retired military personnel to produce “psychological warfare surrender videos” under instructions from China. The court also affirmed sentences ranging from six months to five years and eight months for nine co-defendants.
According to Focus Taiwan, Lee, the head of a temple in New Taipei’s Luzhou District, used “religious exchanges” to travel to China and receive assignments there to develop a pro-China organization in Taiwan. Prosecutors said Lee “used the temple and connections with organized crime” to recruit current and former military personnel who had “financial needs” in 2023. She persuaded them to film “surrender videos” intended to promote an image of disloyalty among Taiwanese military personnel in service of Beijing’s intention to annex Taiwan.
The defendants allegedly handed over confidential military documents and participated in producing the psychological warfare videos while wearing uniforms and holding the flag of the People’s Republic of China. Lee confessed her crimes during the investigation and trial, qualifying her for a shorter sentence, according to the Taiwan High Court.
The 10 defendants were formally indicted on October 23 last year. Prosecutors stated that the defendants should receive “the most severe punishment under the law” for “betraying one’s comrades-in-arms and betraying one’s country.” A statement issued by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) in October last year said the scheme was first uncovered through reports by military personnel in October 2023 and March 2024, leading to a joint investigation by security agencies.
In February 2025, the Taiwan High Court convicted Lee of five offenses, including developing an organization for a foreign power, bribery, and violating national security laws. Five active-duty military members were also convicted by the same court of accepting bribes and violating their duties by cooperating with Lee to record the videos and deliver military secrets.
A defendant surnamed Lee Yao, still in active service, was sentenced to two years and eight months after confessing and naming accomplices. A retired serviceman surnamed Peng received four years and eight months for offenses including espionage and bribery. A defendant surnamed Chen, not a soldier, was sentenced to two years and two months. Another defendant, a retired military serviceman surnamed Chen, was sentenced to six months for filming presidential security information and was not granted a fine in lieu of prison time.
Prosecutors sought convictions under various articles of the National Security Act, Criminal Code, Anti-Corruption Act, Criminal Code of the Armed Forces, and the Classified National Security Information Protection Act.