Court Likely to Delay Decision on Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon's Bail Cancellation... Postponement of Public Official Election Law Violation Trial Also Inevitable (Comprehensive)

On June 29, Jeon Gwang-hoon, senior pastor of Sarang Jeil Church, who was indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act, is entering the courtroom at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to attend the first trial and responding to questions from the press. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon, head pastor of Sarang Jeil Church, tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), which is expected to delay the court's decision on the cancellation of his bail.

According to the court on the 17th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 34 (Chief Judge Heo Seon-ah) had not decided on the method or timing of the bail cancellation hearing for Pastor Jeon by the afternoon of that day.

Meanwhile, with Pastor Jeon testing positive for COVID-19, there are expectations that the court's bail cancellation hearing procedure will be postponed.

Even if the court determines that Pastor Jeon violated bail conditions and has grounds to cancel his bail, it is practically impossible to immediately re-detain him as he must undergo isolation treatment due to COVID-19.

The court is expected to decide on the method and timing of the hearing, whether to conduct an in-person hearing while monitoring Pastor Jeon's treatment progress or to replace it with a written hearing.

The day before, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Public Investigation Division 2 (Chief Prosecutor Kim Tae-eun) requested the Seoul Central District Court to cancel Pastor Jeon's bail on the grounds that he violated bail conditions.

Pastor Jeon, who was arrested and indicted in March for allegedly soliciting support for a specific political party at the Gwanghwamun rally and other events (violations of the Public Official Election Act, etc.), requested bail from the court. The court granted bail in April with the condition that he must not participate in any rallies or demonstrations that could be related to this case or illegal.

However, the prosecution believes that Pastor Jeon violated bail conditions by encouraging his followers to participate in the Liberation Day rally.

Under the Criminal Procedure Act, if a defendant released on bail violates bail conditions, the court may cancel the bail either ex officio or upon the prosecutor's request.

Whether Pastor Jeon's bail will be canceled depends on whether his attendance at the rally held in front of Donghwa Duty-Free Shop on the 15th can be considered a violation of bail conditions.

The rally itself was a lawful event held after a conservative group’s injunction was accepted by the court.

Meanwhile, with Pastor Jeon testing positive for COVID-19, the trial regarding his alleged violation of the Public Official Election Act is also expected to be delayed.

Initially, the court planned to hold a continuation hearing on the 24th and conduct one or two more hearings afterward, aiming to conclude the trial by September, but it seems unlikely that the hearing scheduled for the 24th will proceed as planned.

The court plans to keep the case on standby at home on the 18th and respond according to the results of the epidemiological investigation by health authorities.

Meanwhile, Pastor Jeon underwent a COVID-19 test on the morning of the same day at Yangji Hospital in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, along with his assistant pastor.

Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, received the test results in the afternoon and is currently tracking Pastor Jeon's whereabouts to transfer him to a hospital.

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