Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon Appears at Police for 'Illegal Fundraising'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-gi]Jeon Gwang-hoon, the chairman of the Christian Council of Korea, who was reported for collecting donations at a rally in downtown Seoul, appeared at the police station on the 3rd.

Seoul Jongno Police Station confirmed that they called Jeon in the morning to investigate charges including violation of the Act on the Collection and Use of Donations.

Earlier, Jeon was reported by the Protestant civic group 'Peace Tree' for allegedly collecting donations without registration with relevant authorities at politically oriented events, including a rally held by conservative groups in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on October 3 last year.

It is not an issue for religious organizations to collect offerings from believers during worship services for religious activities. However, the group claims that collecting more than 10 million won from unspecified individuals without registration at a political rally named the 'One Million Struggle Rally for Moon Jae-in’s Resignation in Gwanghwamun' constitutes violations of the Donation Act and the Political Funds Act.

The police have been investigating Jeon’s legality after reviewing the complaint. It was found during the police investigation that some of the donations collected into the account related to the Moon Jae-in Resignation National Struggle Headquarters (Beomtubon), for which Jeon serves as the general representative, were used to rent a house in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

The police are expected to focus on investigating Jeon for violations of the Donation Act today. Previously, the police had planned to question Jeon on the 22nd of last month, but the questioning did not take place as Jeon suddenly expressed his refusal to appear that morning.

On December 12 last year, Jeon was first summoned and investigated mainly on whether he led illegal and violent acts at a rally held by conservative groups on National Foundation Day. At that time, the police applied for an arrest warrant for Jeon, believing the related charges were valid, but the court dismissed the warrant, stating that "it is difficult to recognize the grounds, necessity, or reasonableness for detention at this stage."

Jeon is currently under police investigation for more than ten charges, including violations of the Public Official Election Act.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.