'Not Guilty in First Trial' Jeon Gwang-hoon: "President Moon Invited COVID... I Felt So Unfairly Treated"

Jeon Gwang-hoon Acquitted in First Trial on Charges of 'Election Law Violation and Defamation'

Jeon Gwang-hoon, pastor of Sarang Jeil Church, who was indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act and defamation but was acquitted in the first trial, is speaking as he leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu on the 30th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Su-wan] Ahead of this year's April 15 general election, Jeon Gwang-hoon (64), the chairman of the Christian Council of Korea (CCK) and pastor of Sarang Jeil Church, who was tried on charges of conducting pre-election campaigning at rallies and defaming President Moon Jae-in by calling him a "spy," and was acquitted in the first trial, raised his voice saying, "The novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) was rather invited by President Moon."

On the morning of the 30th, when the court's verdict was announced, Pastor Jeon stated in front of the Seoul Court Complex in Seocho-gu, Seoul, "When the Itaewon incident occurred, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun did not track it, so it spread to residential areas, and after that, our church was attacked."

Pastor Jeon said, "They think killing Kim Kyung-jae and Kim Soo-yeol, and nowadays killing Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl will solve everything, but that is absolutely not true," adding, "South Korea has won. About 10% of the police, prosecutors, and judges are still alive."

He then expressed his grievance at the scene. He shouted, "I will never overlook the police investigators who illegally investigated me during the entire process and the prosecutors who harassed me excessively," and "Where else in the world is there a country that arrests the head of the CCK?"

He continued, "I was so unfairly treated that I wanted to appeal to the U.S. Congress and international human rights organizations, but I thought, 'I can just serve time alone,' so I didn't, but I was arrested," and "I will testify at the U.S. hearings and have already written letters to both the House and Senate."

Finally, he said, "Those of you who want to dismantle South Korea and merge it with North Korea through a lower-level federal system will be judged through the Constitution of the Republic of Korea," adding, "'Ddaekae-moon' (a derogatory term for people who blindly support President Moon) will return to South Korea at a decisive moment."

Pastor Jeon's legal representative also stated, "This ruling is significant in clarifying the aspects of political criticism and freedom of expression," and "Although there was confusion about the concept of election law, the general principle was also specified, and it has symbolic meaning in that criticism of the president should be broadly allowed."

On the afternoon of August 15, Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church is speaking at a rally condemning the government and ruling party held in front of Donghwa Duty Free Shop in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier that day, the 34th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Heo Seon-ah) acquitted Pastor Jeon, who was tried on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act and defamation. The prosecution had requested the court to sentence Pastor Jeon to two years in prison for violating the Public Official Election Act and six months for defamation, totaling two years and six months.

The court said regarding the violation of the Public Official Election Act, "The concept of 'liberal right-wing' mentioned by Pastor Jeon can be presumed to refer to a conservative-leaning party, but it is abstract and vague, so it cannot specifically identify an actual political party," and "Since neither a party nor a candidate was specifically identified, it does not meet the requirements under the Public Official Election Act." Regarding the defamation charge, the court stated, "It appears to be a critical opinion on the political actions or attitude of the victim (President Moon)," and "It is difficult to consider it as stating facts."

The court added, "For freedom of expression to function properly, there must be breathing space necessary for survival," and "Since the victim is the incumbent president and a politician, as a public figure, the verification of political ideology of a public figure should be able to take place more freely in the marketplace of ideas."

Meanwhile, Pastor Jeon was indicted in March this year on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act for conducting pre-election campaigning at rallies such as the Gwanghwamun Square rally ahead of the 21st general election, and on charges of defamation against President Moon for remarks such as "Moon Jae-in is a spy" and "He is attempting to communistize South Korea" made at rallies last October.

He also stirred controversy by forcibly holding a "Liberation Day rally" on August 15 amid concerns over the spread of COVID-19 and was diagnosed positive for COVID-19.

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