"Whether the Election Happens or Not, the President Is..." Jun Kwanghoon Fined 2 Million Won Again in Second Trial for Election Law Violation

Supporting a Candidate While Disqualified from Voting
Fined 2 Million Won in Both First and Second Trials

Pastor Jun Kwanghoon of Sarang Jeil Church, who was put on trial for making remarks in support of a specific candidate during a church service ahead of the 20th presidential election, was sentenced to a fine in the second trial following the first trial.

Yonhap News

On May 29, the Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Kim Jongho) sentenced Pastor Jun to a fine of 2 million won, the same as in the first trial, for violating the Public Official Election Act. Appeals by both Pastor Jun and the prosecution were dismissed.

The court stated, "The remarks made to the congregation during the Sunday service cannot be considered as religious activities, and should be seen as acts carried out by utilizing his official position as the head pastor of Sarang Jeil Church."

The court also maintained the same judgment as the first trial regarding the point that Pastor Jun used his official capacity as the head pastor of Sarang Jeil Church. The court rejected Pastor Jun's claim that his actions constituted religious activities and not election campaigning.

Pastor Jun was accused of inducing support for the Gukmin Revolution Party (now the Liberty Unification Party) during a Sarang Jeil Church service around November 2021, ahead of the last presidential election, by making remarks such as, "The presidential election on March 9 is a foregone conclusion, Kim Kyungjae will become president."

At that time, Pastor Jun had already been sentenced to a suspended prison term for violating the election law in August 2018, resulting in the loss of his voting rights for 10 years and prohibiting him from engaging in election campaigning. Pastor Jun was also accused of sending a total of approximately 3.97 million group text messages to church members supporting a specific candidate during the 19th presidential election.

Pastor Jun argued that his remarks were merely expressions of opinion or intent. The first trial court ruled, "It was only four months before the presidential election held in March 2022, and the defendant recorded and broadcast his sermon to a large number of congregants," adding, "This constitutes an active and deliberate act intended to ensure the election of a specific candidate."