Fine Finalized for Pastor Son Hyun-bo Over Large In-Person Services During COVID-19

Financial News reported that Pastor Son Hyun-bo, senior pastor of Busan Segyero Church, has received a finalized fine for insisting on holding in-person worship services in violation of government assembly restrictions during the COVID-19 outbreak.
On the 26th, the Second Division of the Supreme Court of Korea, presided over by Justice Oh Kyung-mi, dismissed Pastor Son's appeal on charges of violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act and upheld the lower court ruling imposing a fine of 3 million won. The Supreme Court of Korea stated, "The lower court did not misinterpret the legal principles governing the offense of violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act."
Pastor Son was charged with repeatedly holding in-person worship services at his church between August and October 2020, despite an assembly restriction order issued by the Busan Metropolitan City Government that banned in-person gatherings other than non-face-to-face services. He continued services even after a similar restriction order was issued in January 2021, and investigations found that up to about 1,000 congregants attended at that time.
The court of first instance found all of Pastor Son's conduct guilty and imposed fines of 3 million won and 700,000 won in the two separate cases. Pastor Son applied for a constitutional review, arguing that the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act infringed on freedom of religion, but both the first and second instance courts rejected the request.
The appellate court consolidated the two cases and reduced the total fine from 3.7 million won to 3 million won. The bench noted, "Quarantine measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases serve to promote and protect public health, so there is a strong need to punish violations," and treated Pastor Son's repeated breaches of the orders as an aggravating factor.
However, the court also considered it a mitigating factor that there was no concrete indication that the worship services actually led to a spread of COVID-19.
Separately, Pastor Son has recently appealed a first-instance ruling that sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for one year, on charges of conducting illegal electioneering during the Busan education superintendent by-election and the June 3 presidential election.
scottchoi15@fnnews.com Reporter Choi Eun-sol Reporter