Shincheonji Church of Jesus’ Position on Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon's Petition Response

Shincheonji Church of Jesus’ Position

on Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon's Petition Response

Through Governor Kim Dong-yeon’s response to the petition, it has become evident once again that the cancellation of the venue reservation was an administrative abuse without legal basis or proper procedures. Governor Kim has failed to provide clear legal grounds for the cancellation and has instead issued a formal yet vague expression of "regret" to evade responsibility. We demanded clarity on the legal grounds for the cancellation, the decision-making process, and measures for apology and compensation through the petition. However, despite having over a month to respond, Governor Kim has failed to provide even a single definitive answer.

We ask Governor Kim Dong-yeon: If national security was an issue, why was the venue reservation approved in the first place?

Governor Kim cited "military tensions" as the reason for the cancellation. If the military tension was such a grave concern, the venue should not have been approved initially. Allowing the reservation and then canceling it on the day of the event was a deliberate act of insult and oppression against Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

On October 16, Gyeonggi Province issued an administrative order designating danger zones and prohibiting activities such as leafletting to prevent security threats near the border. Yet, a religious event completely unrelated to security concerns was abruptly canceled under the pretext of "resident safety amid national security threats." If national security was indeed the issue, as Governor Kim claims, he should have informed and consulted Shincheonji Church of Jesus about this situation on October 16, when the danger zones were designated. Why was the reservation maintained, and why was there no communication if security was truly the concern?

Moreover, despite several inquiries by Gyeonggi Tourism Organization regarding potential issues with the event, they confirmed up until the day before the event that there were no plans to cancel it. However, based on Governor Kim’s unilateral directive, the cancellation was forced on the day of the event. This decision inflicted significant damage on Shincheonji Church of Jesus and disregarded the tens of thousands of domestic and international participants—a blatant abuse of power.

▎ Issues with Governor Kim Dong-yeon’s Response to the Petition

1. Failure to Provide Legal Basis for the Venue Cancellation

Despite requests for the legal grounds of the cancellation, Governor Kim only referred to general regulations, failing to justify the unprecedented decision to cancel the reservation on the event day. This underscores the illegality and unjust nature of the administrative action.

2. Despite the unprecedented decision to cancel on the day of the event, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon failed to transparently disclose the administrative process.

Even after canceling a large-scale event with international attendees on the day of the event, Governor Kim failed to transparently disclose the process and reasons behind the decision. Such administrative actions undermine fairness and deceive the public.

3. Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon failed to offer an apology or propose compensation to the victims.

Shincheonji Church of Jesus and international attendees suffered immense damage due to the cancellation. However, Governor Kim attempted to downplay the situation with a formal expression of "regret" and made no mention of any compensation plans. This is tantamount to mocking the victims.

This incident is a clear case of religious persecution against the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon’s administrative action has lost all sense of fairness and will be remembered in history as an abuse of power that discriminated against a specific religion. His attempt to justify an unjust decision under the pretense of “resident safety” is an insult to the public’s intelligence. We can no longer trust the phrase “resident safety” under these circumstances.

Due to the cancellation, Shincheonji Church of Jesus has suffered financial losses amounting to hundreds of billions of won and irreparable international reputational damage. All these consequences stem from Governor Kim Dong-yeon’s unilateral decision.

We strongly urge Governor Kim Dong-yeon of Gyeonggi Province.

1. Immediately disclose the legal grounds and decision-making process for the cancellation.

2. Issue a formal apology to Shincheonji Church of Jesus and the participants, and propose compensation measures.

3. Prepare measures to prevent the recurrence of administrative discrimination against specific religions.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon’s decision to cancel the event will go down in history as a case of oppression against a specific religion and abuse of administrative power. Stop evading responsibility and restore the constitutional rights to religious freedom and fair governance. Until Governor Kim takes responsibility for the cancellation and demonstrates sincere actions to remedy the damages, we will continue all legal and social responses.

December 9, 2024

Shincheonji Church of Jesus

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