'Hereditary Controversy' Myeongseong Church Wins Final Victory... Pastor Kim Hana Recognized as Representative

Myeongseong Church ultimately won the lawsuit regarding the representative status of Pastor Kim Hana, which had sparked a 'hereditary succession controversy.'

According to the court on the 24th, the Supreme Court Division 1 (Presiding Justice Kim Seonsu) recently upheld the lower court's ruling dismissing the appeal without a hearing in the case where Deacon Jeong Taeyoon of the Myeongseong Church Laymen's Association filed a lawsuit against Myeongseong Church to confirm the non-existence of representative status. Dismissal without a hearing is a system that rejects an appeal without substantive review if there is no special reason such as a serious violation of law in the lower court's decision.

Supreme Court, Seocho-gu, Seoul.

Previously, controversy arose over the violation of the church denomination's law (father-son succession) during the process where former senior pastor Kim Samhwan, who founded the church, retired in 2015 and his son, Pastor Kim Hana, was called as the successor senior pastor.

Deacon Jeong filed a lawsuit requesting confirmation that Pastor Kim Hana does not hold representative status. He claimed that "Pastor Kim has been performing the duties of senior pastor since 2021 without the proper election procedures required for the appointment."

The first trial sided with Deacon Jeong, ruling that the appointment of Pastor Kim violated the anti-succession law and that the senior pastor's status did not exist.

The second trial reversed the decision, recognizing the validity of Pastor Kim's appointment as senior pastor. The judgment was based on the Presbyterian Church of Korea General Assembly's authoritative interpretation that "calling a direct descendant as senior pastor is not against the anti-succession law if five years have passed since the retirement of the previous pastor."

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