"Stop Jeon Gwang-hoon's Gwangbokjeol Rally" Rally Announced Amid COVID-19... Citizens Express Outrage

Jeon Gwang-hoon Holds Another In-Person Worship, Around 280 Followers Gather
Large-Scale Protest Also Announced for Gwangbokjeol

On the afternoon of August 15, 2020, 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]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "Another rally in this situation... Please stop it!"

Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, is causing controversy by pushing ahead with in-person worship services on the 8th. Since the implementation of social distancing level 4, which restricts in-person worship at religious facilities, the church has held in-person services four times up to this date and is currently under an operation suspension order. Additionally, the People’s Revolutionary Party, led by Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church, has announced a large-scale rally on August 15, Liberation Day, sparking further controversy.

Last year on Liberation Day, Pastor Jeon took the stage at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul to condemn the current administration, attracting many church members and significantly disrupting COVID-19 prevention measures, which has caused public concern and outrage. With the emergence of variant viruses, there are concerns that COVID-19 could spread even more widely again.

On this day, church members held in-person worship from around 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Starting at about 8:30 a.m., attendees entered the church after temperature checks and registration at the entrance. According to Seongbuk-gu, approximately 280 people attended the in-person service. Media reports state that Seongbuk-gu officials attempted to enter the church twice, around 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. No physical clashes, which had been feared, occurred during these attempts.

Previously, the church forcibly held in-person worship on July 25 during the suspension period. They also held services on August 1 and 8. In response, Seongbuk-gu issued a second 20-day operation suspension order starting August 6 along with a fine of 3 million KRW, and plans to conduct a hearing this week ahead of a facility closure order.

Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church is speaking at the "National Rally for the Resignation of the Moon Jae-in Government" held on January 4, 2020, in the afternoon in front of the Kyobo Building in Seoul, hosted by the National Struggle Headquarters for the Resignation of Moon Jae-in.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, the church has announced it will take legal action against Seongbuk-gu’s suspension and closure orders, signaling expected conflict. On July 29, they held a press conference in front of the church stating, "The Seongbuk-gu order misapplied the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, clearly violating the law and containing serious flaws, rendering it invalid," and demanded, "The head of Seongbuk-gu must immediately cancel the suspension order and apologize to the church for unlawful enforcement."

Another issue is that the People’s Revolutionary Party, led by Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon, has announced a large-scale solo protest throughout the Liberation Day holiday from August 14 to 16. Pastor Jeon recently revealed the planned format of the Liberation Day rally on the party’s YouTube channel.

He said, "Ten million people will hold solo protests spaced 2 meters apart," and described the event as "starting from Seoul Station, passing through Namdaemun, City Hall, Gwanghwamun, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Daehanmun, and making a full circle." He added, "On Saturday (14th), starting at 6 a.m. from Seoul Station, we will make a full circle. The event will continue on Sunday (15th), and proceed through the temporary holiday Monday (16th) for three days."

He also announced plans to build a coalition among conservative YouTube channels during the three days of solo protests and to deploy 100 broadcast vehicles for joint real-time coverage.

Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church Photo by Yonhap News

Citizens are outraged. They criticize the push for rallies amid the COVID-19 spread. Kim, a man in his 30s working at a company, said, "How can they hold rallies in this situation? It’s really too much."

Another office worker in his 40s, Park, raised his voice, saying, "The church has already been ordered to suspend operations, yet they are holding rallies that risk violating quarantine rules. It’s really frustrating."

Previously, Pastor Jeon attended the so-called 'Liberation Day rally' held near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on August 15 last year, taking the stage to deliver a speech criticizing the Moon Jae-in administration.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters at the time, as of noon on August 18, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases related to Sarang Jeil Church reached 457. Among the 4,066 church members whose names were on the list and who could potentially have been infected, 630 were unaccounted for, significantly disrupting COVID-19 prevention efforts.

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