'Lee Jae-myung Violated Public Official Election Act' Prosecutors' Judgment
Democratic Party: "President Yoon Also Lied During Presidential Election"
Lee Jae-myung, Park Chan-dae, Kim Min-seok All Protestant
"My wife has been diligently attending church since she was young and has memorized the entire Old Testament. Even now, she can recite the Old Testament fluently."
About three years ago, when President Yoon Suk-yeol was a preliminary candidate for the People Power Party presidential election, this statement was recalled at the Democratic Party's Supreme Council meeting. Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was sentenced to two years in prison by the prosecution last week (on the 20th) in relation to a violation of the Public Official Election Act. During the last presidential election, Lee was on trial for violating the Public Official Election Act after saying in a broadcast interview that the late Kim Moon-gi, former head of Development Division 1 at Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, was "unknown to him while serving as mayor." The Democratic Party pointed out that if this is the context, then President Yoon’s statement should also be considered a violation of the Public Official Election Act. They argued that it is impossible for Kim Geon-hee, President Yoon’s wife, to have memorized the vast amount of the Old Testament. At that time, the nonprofit organization Peace Tree Christian Restoration Center even filed a complaint against President Yoon for false information disclosure under the Public Official Election Act.
On the morning of the 27th, the Democratic Party had a 'burst of laughter' during the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly while discussing this conversation. Supreme Council member Jeon Hyun-hee said, "When Yoon Suk-yeol was a presidential candidate, he was embroiled in a shamanism controversy after carving the character '왕 (King)' on his palm," adding, "Then he lied by saying that his spouse memorized the entire Old Testament." She continued, "If this statement is not the spread of false information, then the prosecution should verify whether Mrs. Kim has memorized the Old Testament, which consists of 39 books, 929 chapters, and 23,145 verses." Leader Lee laughed at Jeon’s remark and joked, "If I had said something like this, I think I would have been sentenced to about five years in prison."
Leader Lee then asked, "I am just a believer who is not even a deacon, but coincidentally, there are ordained deacons on both sides. Do you memorize the Old Testament?" He was referring to Park Chan-dae, the floor leader, and Kim Min-seok, a Supreme Council member, both devout Protestants. An 'ordained deacon' refers to a lifelong deacon who has been ordained by a pastor or similar church authority.
Floor leader Park Chan-dae said, "I am a 45-year Christian (Protestant). When I was in the military, I once challenged myself to memorize the Book of Psalms, one of the 39 books of the Old Testament, but I respect Mrs. Kim for memorizing all 39 books." He added sarcastically, "There is a verse in Romans that says grace abounds where sin increases. Quoting the Bible to lie requires a lot of grace." At Park’s comment, Leader Lee and the rest of the leadership burst into laughter.
Lee Jae-myung, Park Chan-dae, and Kim Min-seok Connected by Protestantism
The Democratic Party leadership includes a majority of Protestant believers. Leader Lee is known to have started attending church around late 2005, inspired by a sermon from the pastor of Bundang Woori Church. Floor leader Park is an ordained deacon at a church in his constituency, Yeonsu District, Incheon. He is sometimes nicknamed the 'church oppa' within the party. Supreme Council member Kim Min-seok is an ordained deacon at Shingil Church in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, and is known to attend early morning prayers before going to the National Assembly. During the general election, Kim, who served as the situation room chief, proposed the idea of utilizing church spaces for childcare and welfare. Supreme Council member Joo Cheol-hyun, who is a nominated member, is also a Protestant believer.
Due to the large-scale spread of COVID-19 in 2021, Sunday worship services are being held online at Yoido Full Gospel Church in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
In addition, Supreme Council members Jeon Hyun-hee, Han Jun-ho, and Lee Eon-ju are Catholics. Council member Jeon is an alumna of Busan Teresa Girls' High School, a Catholic-affiliated school. Council member Han has the baptismal name 'John Bosco' and performs the sign of the cross before meals. He is known to belong to a parish under the Suwon Diocese.
Meanwhile, Supreme Council member Kim Byung-joo is known as a devout Buddhist. He has served as president of the Military Buddhist Association.
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