Shincheonji Church of Jesus Chairman Man-hee Lee comments on unilateral cancellation of rentals.
PAJU, KOREA, November 15, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ — “There should never be any religious oppression in our country. I earnestly ask the government and officials to ensure that something like this never happens.”
Chairman Man-hee Lee of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (hereinafter referred to as Shincheonji Church of Jesus) commented on the unilateral cancellation of the ‘Religious Leaders Forum and Graduation Ceremony’, which was originally planned to be held at Imjingak Peace Nuri in Paju, South Korea. Due to this cancellation, the graduation ceremony was held at Shincheonji Cheongju Church on the 30th.
Chairman Lee said, “Our country, which was poor and impoverished, suffered a lot of sadness and pain, but now it has become a prosperous country. Wouldn’t it be better if we become a country recognized by God in the future?” he repeated, adding, “So, please help us all work together to become a country of love without conflict.”
Initially, the location where Shincheonji Church of Jesus’s Zion Christian Mission Center (Director Tan Young-jin) decided to hold the ‘Religious Leaders Forum and Graduation Ceremony’ together with the National Unification Buddhist Central Council was Imjingak Peace Nuri.
However, with overseas personnel and graduates from each country already entering the country and more than 20 billion won spent on preparing for the event, the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization suddenly decided to cancel the rental on the 29th, the day of the rental. None of this was shared or discussed with the organizers in advance.
Background analysis suggests protests from Protestant groups who persecute the growth of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and the political circles conscious of this, influenced the decision.
In relation to this, Chairman Lee emphasized in a meeting with reporters that day, “It is in our country’s constitution that politics and religion must be separated.”
He continued, “There is no country without its people, and there is no person who rejects his or her own country.” Article 1, Paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Constitution state that all sovereignty belongs to the people, and our country is clearly a democratic republic. “No matter how powerful you are, can you ignore the law?” he asked.
An official from Shincheonji Church of Jesus said, “This unilateral cancellation of the rental by the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization is very deplorable,” and added, “If administrative agencies and public institutions made this decision with religious bias, they have committed an unconstitutional act.”
This official continued, “We feel it is unfair, but this graduation ceremony was held at a different location for the overseas believers and domestic and foreign religious leaders who visited Korea.” He added, “The damage suffered by Shincheonji Church of Jesus in relation to this incident is so great that it cannot be estimated. “We are considering legal action,” he said.
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