'Molotov Cocktails and Steel Pipes': 14 Members of Sarang Jeil Church Sentenced to Prison

Charges Including Obstruction of Official Duties and Others

About 10 believers who used Molotov cocktails, metal pipes, and other weapons during the eviction process of Sarang Jeil Church were sentenced to prison and taken into custody in court.

Enforcement officers from the Seoul Northern District Court attempting to enter during the 5th eviction execution at Sarang Jeil Church.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 1st, Judge Lee Jong-kwang of the Criminal Division 4 at the Seoul Northern District Court sentenced Jeon Mo to 3 years in prison on charges including obstruction of official duties, Lee Mo and three others to 2 years in prison, Hwang Mo and five others to 1 year and 6 months in prison, and Park Mo and five others to 8 months in prison. Kim Mo, who only threw stones, was sentenced to 8 months in prison with a 2-year probation and ordered to perform 160 hours of community service.

The court stated, "This is the first case since the 1987 constitutional amendment where a court ruling was effectively nullified by violence," adding, "This is not a matter of individual survival rights but rather driven by the economic greed of a religious group, which is judged to be fatal from the perspective of the foundation of our community’s existence and constitutional protection."

Sarang Jeil Church, pastored by Reverend Jeon Kwang-hoon, lost a lawsuit against the Jangwi 10 District Redevelopment Association in May 2020. The church opposed demolition over compensation issues and clashed physically with enforcement assistants whenever the association attempted forced eviction. They were indicted for obstructing enforcement assistants using Molotov cocktails, flame throwers, metal pipes, and other means during the third eviction process on November 26, 2020 (charges include obstruction of official duties and violation of the Molotov cocktail punishment law). Some believers protested after the sentencing, saying, "Where is such a law?" Outside the courtroom, the court was verbally abused as 'leftists' and 'communists.'

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