The disciplinary nullification lawsuit filed by Pastor Lee Dong-hwan, who was suspended for two years for offering a blessing prayer to sexual minorities at the 2019 Queer Festival, was dismissed by the court.
Pastor Donghwan Lee, Press Conference on First Trial Verdict Announcement. [Image Source=Yonhap News]
The Civil Division 46 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Hyung-cheol) dismissed the lawsuit filed by Pastor Lee against the Korea Methodist Church to nullify the decision of the General Assembly Disciplinary Committee on the 21st. A dismissal is a ruling that ends the trial without examining the merits when the lawsuit does not meet the requirements or the claim is not subject to judgment.
The court stated, "Since the organization and operation of religious groups must be guaranteed to the greatest extent possible, to deem various disciplinary actions as automatically null and void, procedural defects alone are insufficient; the defects must be very serious," and added, "It is difficult to consider the substantive and procedural defects of the suspension ruling as null and void."
Pastor Lee was confirmed to have received a two-year suspension disciplinary action from the General Assembly Disciplinary Committee of the Korea Methodist Church in October 2022 for officiating a blessing ceremony for sexual minorities at the Incheon Queer Culture Festival in August 2019. In response, he filed a lawsuit in protest.
Meanwhile, the Korea Methodist Church has also excommunicated Pastor Lee for reasons including officiating a blessing ceremony again for sexual minorities at the Incheon Queer Culture Festival in December 2020. Pastor Lee has also filed a nullification lawsuit against the excommunication decision.
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