Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon Claims "Yoon Will Definitely Run in the Presidential Election 5 Years Later"

"There Was No Such Statement," Counterargument Raised

Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church claimed that he heard former President Yoon Seok-yeol expressed his intention to run again in the presidential election five years from now.

Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church. Yonhap News

On the 13th, Pastor Jeon stated this during Sunday worship in front of Dongwha Duty Free Shop in Jongno-gu, saying he heard it from Jeon Gwang-sam, the chief of civic society affairs at the presidential office and an aide to former President Yoon. He said, "I asked if former President Yoon could run in this election, and he said, 'It's impossible. He cannot for five years.'" He continued, "When I asked if he would run after five years, he said he definitely would." He added, "Former President Yoon's determination is extraordinarily strong," and "In five years, we can welcome former President Yoon as our president again." Furthermore, Pastor Jeon raised a "North Korean conspiracy theory" regarding the recent impeachment.

On the previous day, at the 'National Resistance Rights Gwanghwamun National Rally' hosted by the Liberty Unification Party held in Gwanghwamun, Pastor Jeon also called for former President Yoon's return. He said, "The eight constitutional court justices are not the ultimate authority. You, the people, are the ultimate authority," and raised his voice, saying, "The people's right to resist is not something I can do alone. Ten million people must gather at Gwanghwamun Square." Pastor Jeon declared, "Next week, I plan to risk my life and work tirelessly from Monday throughout the week to mobilize ten million people," and appealed, "Former President Yoon is probably watching all the videos from Gwanghwamun, so do not be discouraged."

However, former Chief Jeon dismissed the claim in a phone call with Yonhap News Agency, saying, "I never said such things." Additionally, legal circles view that a re-run is impossible under current law. According to Article 54 of the Constitutional Court Act, a person dismissed by impeachment cannot become a public official for five years. Even after five years, under current law, the presidency is a single-term system, not a two-term system, so running in the next presidential election is also considered impossible.