'Support Statement for Candidate During Church Service' Jeon Gwang-hoon Fined

[Financial News] Despite being deprived of voting rights, Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church, who made statements supporting a presidential candidate during a church service, has been fined.
The Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Judge Eom Sang-pil) confirmed the original sentence, which imposed a fine of 2 million won on Pastor Jeon, who was indicted for violating the Public Official Election Act.
Pastor Jeon was indicted for mentioning Kim Kyung-jae, the then-presidential candidate of the National Revolutionary Party, during a sermon at Sarang Jeil Church, where he was serving as a pastor on November 7, 2021, saying, "Kim Kyung-jae is destined to become president," and "He is a great person trying to imitate Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee," and during a 'Talk Time' corner prepared immediately after the sermon, he made statements to the effect of "I hope he becomes the unification president," inducing support for candidate Kim. At that time, Pastor Jeon was in a situation where he could not campaign for 10 years, as he had been sentenced to a suspended prison term for violating the Public Official Election Act in August 2018.
The first trial sentenced him to a fine of 2 million won, considering △ Pastor Jeon was in a position to exert significant influence over the congregation △ The statements were made during a regular Sunday service attended by dozens or hundreds of congregants △ The talk show was part of the Sunday service procedure. The court stated, "Despite not having voting rights, he campaigned and used religious authority to campaign, which is not light in terms of the legislative intent of the Public Official Election Act."
The second trial also maintained the original judgment, stating, "The original judgment is just, and it is difficult to see that there is an error of fact or misunderstanding of the law as claimed by Pastor Jeon."
The Supreme Court's judgment was the same. The Supreme Court said, "There is no error in the necessary deliberation of the original judgment, such as violating the principles of logic and experience, exceeding the limits of free conviction, or misunderstanding the legal principles regarding the establishment of the crime of violating the Public Official Election Act," and "The claim that it is allowed as a preliminary election campaign by posting videos on the internet homepage or that it is not punishable as an election campaign for a person who did not become a candidate due to subsequent withdrawal is not a legitimate reason for appeal."


theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter