Jeon Gwang-hoon says "Kim Ki-hyun and Kim Jae-won asked for help"... Ha Tae-gyeong says "We need to change the party election rules"

Kim Ki-hyun "Requested Help from Jeon Gwang-hoon... Rejected Absurd Demands"
Lee Jun-seok "No Expectations... Invite Pastor Jeon as Standing Advisor"

Regarding Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church's claim that not only Kim Jae-won, the Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, but also Kim Ki-hyun, the party leader, asked him for help, former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok sarcastically said, "Just appoint Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon as a standing advisor." Ha Tae-kyung, a People Power Party lawmaker, also launched an offensive against the party mainstream, including Leader Kim, saying, "To break the vicious cycle, the only way is to change the party convention rules to 100% party member voting."

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

In an interview with Weekly Chosun released on the 21st, Pastor Jeon said, "Leader Kim called me several times before the March 8 party convention election, saying, 'You have to pass the first round (primary) with a majority, so please help me,'" adding, "If we hadn't helped, he would never have won the first round."

When asked, "Many say Pastor Jeon has almost no political influence in the People Power Party," he replied, "Some say there is none, but many say it is decisive," adding, "My ability was revealed in the recent party leader and Supreme Council member elections conducted by the People Power Party."

He also claimed that Supreme Council member Kim Jae-won came to him first and asked to be allowed to stand on the podium at the Gwanghwamun rally.

Pastor Jeon said, "Kim Jae-won (Supreme Council member) came to me because he was anxious about being fourth. If he didn't make the top four, he would be eliminated," adding, "'Please help me,' he said, and when I asked how, he said he wanted to give a speech at the Gwanghwamun March 1st rally. So, I introduced him, and he gave a speech and immediately came in first. Gwanghwamun has such power."

Kim Jae-won denied this, and Leader Kim reportedly did not respond to related inquiries.

Regarding Pastor Jeon's claim, Kim Ki-hyun, the People Power Party leader, said, "There was a request for help," but added, "I rejected it because it was an absurd demand."

Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok posted a related article on his Facebook and sarcastically said, "If the request for help is true, then since there is no longer any expectation, just appoint that person (Pastor Jeon) as a standing advisor."

Leader Kim immediately issued an official statement. On the 21st, he said, "As a candidate running for party leader, it is natural to request help from various places."

He continued, "At that time, Pastor Jeon made an absurd demand that 'his consent must be obtained when appointing the future nomination committee chairman,' and I immediately rejected such a demand," explaining, "After that, Pastor Jeon showed an unfriendly attitude and ultimately did not offer help."

Controversy over 'prior consent' demand to former leader Hwang Kyo-ahn in 2019...

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, is delivering a congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony of the 59th Korea Press Photo Exhibition held at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on the 20th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Pastor Jeon's demand for 'consent when appointing the nomination committee chairman' is not the first time.

Former Liberty Korea Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn said that at the end of 2019, Pastor Jeon asked to be informed in advance who the nomination committee chairman would be, effectively demanding prior consent, and from then on, he began to keep his distance.

Later, on the 22nd, lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung posted on SNS, "We must change the 100% party member primary rule to prevent a second or third Jeon Gwang-hoon and the conspiracy of cult groups to take over the party," adding, "Let's create a primary rule that reflects the people's will significantly."

Ha said, "No one knows how deeply Jeon Gwang-hoon's faction has infiltrated our party. Estimates range from as few as a thousand to over a hundred thousand," adding, "That's why Jeon Gwang-hoon can boast as if hundreds of thousands of his supporters have joined our party."

He continued, "If we do not change the 100% party member primary rule, second and third Jeon Gwang-hoons will emerge and try to take over our party, and each time, our party will be trapped in a vicious cycle of struggling under the control of cult groups or extremist forces," emphasizing that changing the party convention rules will ensure "no faction like Jeon Gwang-hoon will ever lurk around again."

Meanwhile, residents of the Jangwi 10 district redevelopment area in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, are pushing to exclude the Sarang Jeil Church site of Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon from the redevelopment zone. Although a compensation agreement of 50 billion won has been reached, they claim the church has not fulfilled its relocation promise and are preparing to file a lawsuit seeking damages in the hundreds of billions of won.

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