[Shincheonji Press Release] Discriminatory Religious Suppression by Gyeonggi Province Confirmed... Provincial Assembly Member Seo Sung-ran Reveals in Church Sermon

[Shincheonji Press Release] Discriminatory Religious Suppression

by Gyeonggi Province Confirmed...

Provincial Assembly Member Seo Sung-ran Reveals in Church Sermon

▎ Governor Kim Dong-yeon, who claimed to "support the free activities of all religions," embarrassed

▎ Shincheonji Church of Jesus: “A blatant violation of the Constitution and the rule of law will be recorded in history”

The Shincheonji Church of Jesus has strongly criticized Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Member Seo Sung-ran, who boasted during a sermon about her involvement in canceling the church’s “Peace Nuri” event. The church labeled her actions as a clear case of abuse of authority and a violation of the principle of separation of church and state.

On November 27, Seo Sung-ran, in a sermon uploaded to the YouTube channel “Ilsan Gwangrim Church LIVE,” stated that she directly intervened to block the Shincheonji Church of Jesus’s Peace Nuri event in Paju by appealing to major officials, including the Gyeonggi Province Governor and the Chair of the Provincial Assembly. She claimed this as her achievement and justified it from a religious standpoint.

Seo, a pastor-turned-politician, previously served as the Chair of the Christian Council in Uiwang City and as Co-Chair of the Gyeonggi Province Christian Council. According to the sermon video, she delivered the sermon at a Wednesday worship service held at Ilsan Gwangrim Church in Gyeonggi Province on November 27.

In her sermon, Seo mentioned hearing about the Shincheonji Church of Jesus’s planned gathering at Peace Nuri, stating, “I received an order from above to ‘block this.’” She added, “Peace Nuri Park is managed by the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, which decides whether to approve or deny such gatherings.”

Seo explained that Governor Kim Dong-yeon is an ordained deacon at his church, Assembly Chair Kim Jin-kyung is an elder, and Hwang Dae-ho, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee Chair of provincial assembly, is a church deacon. 

She continued, “I spoke to the Governor (Kim Dong-yeon), then to the Chair of the Provincial Assembly, and finally to the Chair of the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee, telling them, ‘This (the Shincheonji Church of Jesus event) must be stopped. Please pray together.’ The Gyeonggi Tourism Organization is under the jurisdiction of the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee. It was really just a day before that the event was canceled,” she revealed.

Seo further commented, “I am truly grateful to (the former president of the Christian Council of Goyang City), who provided steadfast support from behind the scenes. It’s not something I could have achieved as a provincial assembly member alone.”

Assembly Member Seo stated, “What I am truly grateful for today at (Ilsan Gwangrim) Church is that our pastor, who is the former president of the Christian Council of Goyang City, provided strong support from behind the scenes. I don’t think this is something I could have accomplished solely as an assembly member.”

Seo’s remarks suggest that she acted under directives from the Gyeonggi Christian community to pressure the Governor, Assembly Chair, and Committee Chair—all Christians—to block the Shincheonji Church of Jesus event.

This constitutes a violation of Article 20 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion and the separation of religion and politics, as well as Article 42-2 of the Local Civil Service Act, which states that public officials must perform their duties without religious discrimination.

Furthermore, this contradicts previous statements by Governor Kim Dong-yeon and Gyeonggi Province. The province had unilaterally canceled the “Religious Leaders Forum and Graduation Ceremony” event scheduled for October 29 at Paju’s Peace Nuri, citing heightened tensions with North Korea and resident safety concerns. 

At the 379th 5th meeting of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council held on the 29th of last month, Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon responded to a question from a council member, stating, "The province's action (regarding the cancellation of venue use) was taken to ensure the safety and lives of residents, and it has no relation to religious suppression." He further clarified, "If it were not this (Shincheonji Church of Jesus) organization but any other institution applying for the same venue on the same date with the same scale, the same measures would have been taken. Gyeonggi Province supports the free activities of all religions. I want to emphasize that this is not a matter of religious suppression or an issue targeting any specific religion."

The Shincheonji Church of Jesus criticized Seo’s actions, stating, “A public official’s abuse of authority based on personal religious beliefs is a serious infringement on the constitutional principles of freedom of religion and the separation of church and state.”

The church added, “Seo’s remarks demonstrate that her personal religious beliefs superseded her public duties, raising doubts about her qualifications as a public representative. Mobilizing public officials and administrative power to ostracize a specific religion betrays public trust and undermines fairness.”

Seo also explicitly mentioned the religious affiliations of the Governor, Assembly Chair, and Chair of Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, claiming their cooperation in canceling the event. This highlights how administrative decisions were influenced by religious interests, raising serious concerns.

The Shincheonji Church of Jesus announced plans for a strong response to prevent further instances of religious discrimination and abuse of authority by public officials. The church demanded full transparency from the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and Assembly regarding the administrative procedures involved in the cancellation.

“This incident will be recorded as a clear violation of the Constitution and the rule of law,” the church stated, pledging to hold those responsible accountable through legal and societal measures.

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