Established Pioneer Church in 1983 and Expanded Congregation
Led Founding of Christian Liberty Democratic Party Ahead of 2012 General Election
Began Political Remarks at Rallies
"God, If You Mess Around, You'll Die" Controversial Remarks
Reelected as Chairman of HanKiChong but Faced Arrest and Bail
On the afternoon of January 4 last year, Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon, head pastor of Sarang Jeil Church, is speaking at the "People's Rally for the Resignation of the Moon Jae-in Government" in front of the Kyobo Building in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) rapidly resurges, attention is focused on Sarang Jeil Church located in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, which played a key role in the chain of infections, and on Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon (64), the senior pastor of the church. Currently, Pastor Jeon is making an absurd claim that the cause of the COVID-19 cluster infection is "due to an external virus terror attack." Pastor Jeon, classified as a far-right Protestant figure, became widely known to the public mainly because of his so-called 'blunt remarks.'
According to media reports and Protestant circles, Mr. Jeon, originally from Uiseong, Gyeongbuk, born in 1956, is known to have started his pastoral activities in the early to mid-1980s. In 1983, during his time as a preacher, he founded Sarang Jeil Church, a small pioneering church, in Dapsimni, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. About ten years later, in 1995, he moved to Jangwi-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, and settled there.
In 2014, Mr. Jeon became the president of a Presbyterian denomination of the Presbyterian Church of Korea and attempted to unify with other denominations. However, this led to internal conflicts, and as a result, he was expelled from the denomination in 2019. Mr. Jeon's side refuted this, calling it a false claim by the denomination that expelled him.
In 2018, he was elected as the representative chairman of the Korea Christian Federation (Han Ki Chong), an ecumenical organization in the Christian community. Afterward, Mr. Jeon held various political events under the name of Han Ki Chong, drawing criticism from some parts of the Christian community. He succeeded in renewing his term as chairman in January this year but was arrested in February on charges including violation of the Public Official Election Act and was released on bail about 50 days later. His duties as the representative chairman of Han Ki Chong are currently suspended.
He began to publicly appear in the media and to the public starting in the mid-2000s by participating in street rallies. Subsequently, he actively entered the political arena and led the founding of the Christian Liberty Party ahead of the 2012 general elections.
Four years later, in the 2016 general elections, the Christian Liberty Party received 2.63% of the vote. In this year's 21st general elections, he hoped for the first proportional representation victory but failed.
Last October, he held a rally in front of the Blue House fountain, claiming that South Korea would revolve around him for the next ten years, saying, "I firmly hold the throne of God. If God messes with me, he dies." This statement sparked controversies over blasphemy and heresy within the Christian community.
A petition urging the re-imprisonment of Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon. Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board capture
Meanwhile, public opinion calling for Pastor Jeon's re-arrest is growing. On the Blue House's national petition website, a petition titled "We urge the re-imprisonment of the national nuisance Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon" has received 178,915 signatures as of 7 a.m. on the 17th.
The petitioner criticized, "Since Pastor Jeon was released on bail last April, he has continuously held various rallies attended by thousands of people, obsessively collecting membership fees and offerings," adding, "He is making the efforts of the quarantine authorities, who have worked hard to end COVID-19, futile."
A cluster infection of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) occurred at Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, and on the afternoon of the 16th, the Seongbuk-gu Public Health Center screening clinic in Seoul was crowded. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The current spread of COVID-19 is steeply increasing. On the 16th, the government announced that with a rapid surge in confirmed cases centered around Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, a total of 279 new COVID-19 cases were reported, describing it as "the early stage of a large-scale COVID-19 outbreak."
Park Neung-hoo, the first deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, said at a regular briefing held at the Seoul Government Complex, "The government is fully aware that we are currently at the early stage of a large-scale resurgence," and added, "We are making all-out efforts across the government to suppress further spread."
Regarding Sarang Jeil Church, he said, "In the case of Sarang Jeil Church, more active cooperation from the church and its members is requested," urging the church to cooperate.
He continued, "Acts of non-compliance or obstruction of essential quarantine measures severely undermine the safety of our entire society, and we will take strict legal actions such as prosecution accordingly."
On the afternoon of the 15th, Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church is speaking at a rally condemning the government and ruling party held in front of Donghwa Duty Free Shop in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Infections have rapidly spread centered around Sarang Jeil Church, with the number of related confirmed cases increasing from 59 as of the 15th to an additional 190, totaling 249.
Meanwhile, on the afternoon of the 16th, Seoul City filed a complaint against Pastor Jeon of Sarang Jeil Church. The charges include violating self-quarantine guidelines by attending the Liberation Day rally and obstructing and delaying diagnostic testing for church members. The prosecution has requested the court to revoke Pastor Jeon's bail due to violation of bail conditions.
Seo Jeong-hyeop, acting mayor of Seoul, held an emergency briefing at City Hall that morning, stating, "Pastor Jeon, who is a responsible quarantine subject and a self-quarantine target, violated self-quarantine guidelines and deliberately delayed diagnostic testing for believers by spreading false information," adding, "This is a clear violation of the law that threatens the safety and lives of the community. We will file complaints against Pastor Jeon and Sarang Jeil Church officials for violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act."
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