Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon Arrested... "Criminal Charges Proven"

Loss of Momentum in Beomtu-bon Rally Amid COVID-19 Concerns

Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of the Korea Christian Federation, who is accused of violating the Public Official Election Act, is answering questions from the press as he enters the courtroom to attend the warrant hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 24th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Jeon Gwang-hoon, chairman of the Korea Christian Federation, was detained by the police on the 24th. The police, who had their arrest warrant request dismissed by the court two months ago on charges of leading a violent rally, secured his custody this time on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act.

Kim Dong-hyun, the chief judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, after conducting the pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant substantive examination) for Pastor Jeon, who was charged with violating the Public Official Election Act, said, "The suspect, who does not have voting rights and therefore cannot engage in election campaigning, conducted continuous pre-election campaigning targeting a large audience ahead of the general election, and the criminal charges are substantiated," and issued the warrant. Judge Kim added, "Considering the significance of free and fair elections in a representative democracy, the case is serious, strict punishment is expected, and there is also a risk of flight."

Pastor Jeon is accused of appealing for support for a specific political party at rallies such as the one in Gwanghwamun. Previously, Protestant-affiliated civic groups and the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission filed complaints, alleging that Pastor Jeon appealed for support for a specific political party at rallies including the Gwanghwamun rally. The police combined the two complaints and applied for an arrest warrant on the 20th. The police judged that Pastor Jeon had already been punished three times for violating the Public Official Election Act and that there was a high risk of recidivism as he committed the same crime even after a suspended prison sentence was confirmed in October last year.

The substantive examination of the warrant for Pastor Jeon was originally scheduled for the 21st but was postponed to that day after he expressed his intention not to appear. After postponing the hearing once, Pastor Jeon defied the Seoul Metropolitan Government's measures on the 22nd and 23rd, which prohibited rallies and demonstrations in the city center due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and forcibly held the Gwanghwamun rally of the "National Struggle Headquarters for Moon Jae-in's Resignation" (Beomtubon). Pastor Jeon, the general representative of Beomtubon, was also accused of leading this rally (violation of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act).

After the warrant hearing on that day, Pastor Jeon expressed his intention to proceed with Beomtubon's March 1st rally despite concerns about COVID-19 and the accusations. He claimed, "Top experts, doctors, said there have been no cases of infection at outdoor rallies," and "If you want to block it, you should block indoor rallies; there is no basis to block peaceful outdoor rallies." However, with the issuance of the warrant for Pastor Jeon that day, Beomtubon's rally is expected to lose momentum.

In addition, Pastor Jeon is under accusation for forgery of private documents, use of forged private documents, obstruction of business, incitement of rebellion, spreading false information, violation of the Act on the Collection and Use of Donations, violation of the Assembly and Demonstration Act, and obstruction of special public officials in the execution of their duties. Among these, the police applied for an arrest warrant for Pastor Jeon on charges of leading the violent incident in front of the Blue House during the Gaecheonjeol rally in Gwanghwamun last year. However, on the 2nd of last month, the court dismissed the warrant request, stating that "the case itself is not serious enough to warrant detention, and the police have not sufficiently secured evidence to prove the charges."