Gyeonggi Tourism Organization Oppressed Religion by Venue Cancellation of Shincheonji Church’s 110K Graduation Ceremony
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| The event was supposed to be held at Pyeonghwa Nuri Park in Paju City, Gyeonggi Province |
Then, why was it held in Cheongju, in the southern region of Korea?
You can see the full article on Shincheonji Church’s 110K Graduation Ceremony here.
Celebrating the successful completion of the Bible course, Shincheonji Church rented a place in Paju City, Gyeonggi Province from the 29th to the 31st.
However, Gyeonggi Tourism Organization cancelled the venue reservation on the 29th (under the Gyeonggi Provincial Governor’s order), which was the date of rent they agreed to. It’s an unusual reaction for a region-owned company to cancel the venue reservation on the very day. Shincheonji Church restored the place to its original state and headed to Chungju Church to start over again the preparation for the event.
Declaiming the inappropriate treatment of the organisation, Shincheonji Church of Jesus made a statement and posted it on its official website.
Here is the statement:
Shincheonji Church of Jesus on the Surprise Cancellation of Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri Park
SEOUL, NOV 06 — A blatant act in the face of Korea’s Constitution that upholds religious freedom—Gyeonggi-do Government of the South Korean province and its public agency for tourism, Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, committed a reprehensible act that is unjustifiable on any account—an act of religious discrimination.
It seems the Gyeonggi-do government and Gyeonggi Tourism Organization have questionable views on where our country should be heading. Blinded by the political interest of the few, such decisions and actions that divide the nation, divide a religion, and could potentially lead the country into ruin begs the question of whether that is their objective.
Shincheonji Church of Jesus reserved the Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri Park (the name translates to World of Peace Park) from October 29 to 31 to host the Religious Leaders’ Forum and its Graduation Ceremony on the 30th. Hundreds of thousands, including graduates and religious leaders, arrived in Korea to attend the fully prepared, full-fledged international event that cost tens of billions of Korean Won in preparation. However, on October 29, the first day of the scheduled use of the venue, Gyeonggi Tourism Organization sent a surprise notification. They were canceling the venue reservation without any prior talks with the church. It is a complete mistreatment by a public agency toward its own people, and the display of illegitimate action seriously harmed the national standing of the Republic of Korea. How does one even explain to the religious leaders who traveled from their home countries to Korea to attend or to the graduates when something like this is done? While Korea boasts Hallyu and hails globalization, Gyeonggi-do’s actions have become a source of national disgrace, bringing shame on an international scale by committing religious persecution. Are those accountable trying to prod Shincheonji Church of Jesus to rally against them?
All administrative procedures had been completed accordingly. After the venue lease was authorized on July 22, the payment was completed by October 2. At working-level meetings with the authorizers on October 16, the details were revised, including the scale of the event, floor plans, safety plans, and plans for special effects fireworks. Gyeonggi Tourism Organization deliberated all event details and completed a safety inspection. The same day, the news reported that Gyeonggi-do had designated Paju City as a danger zone. When asked about it, authorizers responded that the designation was to prevent any anti-North Korean flyers from the region and was unrelated to the event scheduled at the venue. There was no prior notice or regulation related to the designation or to the church’s inquiries of any changes. Moreover, the people in charge of the venue officially confirmed twice, on October 23 and then on 28, that they had no intention of canceling the venue authorization.
A government body or public agency authorizes an event to be held at a venue, an event fully proofed with safety assessments, then suddenly cancels the venue on the very day of the event following opposition from a certain religious group, then decides to use the pretext of “provocation against North Korea.” This significantly discredits the agency of public administration, and at the same time, those actions are the kind of actions that create a divide among the people and the nation it is mandated to serve. Furthermore, Gyeonggi-do Governor Kim Dong-yeon ordered the cancellation of the venue based on a thin premise of “provoking the North,” while other events took place at the exact location with no issue. An administrative action swayed by opposing opinions from a certain religious group directly violates the constitutional principle of the Separation of the Churches and the State and is an unconstitutional act profoundly deplorable in a democracy.
Is it the Gyeonggi provincial government and Gyeonggi Tourism Organization’s intent to drive Shincheonji Church of Jesus out of this land? It is unheard of for a public entity to overturn its own administrative action influenced by a disgruntled religious organization. We are rightful citizens of this country. We have no reason to be discriminated against in lawfully utilizing a public facility that is operated with our tax money.
We cannot tolerate discrimination any longer. After years of tireless efforts to find amicable solutions, such disappointing outcomes are enough to drive the church’s people to the streets to protect their rights and demand justice.
People at Shincheonji Church of Jesus are not second-class citizens who deserve discrimination or high-handedness, nor should there be any such thing as a second-class citizen. If those responsible believe their bias and persecution would spell peace for the nation, they are mistaken.
With grave concern, the people of Shincheonji Church request the following: Gyeonggi-do provincial government and Gyeonggi Tourism Organization must provide the people of Korea with a reasonable cause and rationale for its cancellation in detail; issue an official apology to all members of the church and the guests invited from home and abroad; and immediately stop discrimination based on religion in administrative actions. We, the people of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, expect a responsible reply and will otherwise seek all legal measures to resolve the issue while hundreds of thousands of church members could take to the streets demanding answers. International human rights groups will hear detailed accounts of the religious discrimination taking place in Korea, and so will civil and criminal courts.
Every citizen of the nation holds equal rights, and freedom of religion is non-negotiable. Shincheonji Church of Jesus and its congregation will see to it that everyone enjoys freedom of religion without discrimination.
Nov. 01, 2024.
Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony
Shincheonji Church found out – when they visited the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization to deliver the letter of complaint – that the organization canceled only Shincheonji Church’s event while letting other organizations hold events at the same place. Shincheonji Church of Jesus criticized the organization for its unfair decision over a religious organization because the Constitution Law of Korea guarantees religious freedom. The Gyeonggi Tourism Organization violated its policies and Korea’s Constitution Law by suppressing a particular religion.
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Before closing the event, Chairman ManHee Lee of Shincheonji Church pleaded to God and then the President of Korea to eliminate the religious suppression in the country.
Some may find it difficult to believe that a regional-owned organisation casually oppressed a certain religion in the 21st century, in South Korea. Unfortunately, indeed, it happened only a few weeks ago. Religious freedom is for everyone (The Constitution of Korea, Article 20, Clause 1), and politics and religion must be separated (The Constitution of Korea, Article 20, Clause 2). It’s a brutal violation of the foundation law of Korea.
To learn more about the incident, you can check the articles below:
Chicago News – RELIGIOUS FREEDOM VIOLATION AND INTOLERANCE SPARK INTERNATIONAL CONTROVERSY
UGstandard- South Korea cancels major international religious event, sparking global outrage
PML Daily- South Korea faces international backlash after canceling major religious event
UgandaNewsline- South Korean local government cancels international event with 30,000 participants from 75 countries, causing international damage
NilePost- Cancellation of event with 30,000 participants in South Korea sparks international damage
The Capital Times – Intolerance: South Korean Local Government Cancels International Event With 30,000 Participants From 78 Countries, Causing International Damage
The Pearl Times- Religious Freedom Violation and Intolerance Spark International Controversy
Soft Power News- Religious Freedom Violation and Intolerance Spark International Controversy
To denounce the human rights violation, 25,000 Shincheonji Church members from the twelve tribes gathered in front of the Gyeonggi-do Provincial Government building and held a rally on 15th Nov. 2024. Their demands were clear – 1) to clarify the reason for the sudden cancellation of the venue, 2) to apologise to Shincheonji Church members and distinguished guests who had to move to Cheongju because of the Gyeonggi-do governor’s decision, and 3) to pay for the damage because of the incident.
Look how powerful their energies are!
https://vo.la/acGmvYIf you have heard about Shincheonji Church, you might be familiar with the religious oppression they went through for many years. The religious oppression includes ‘coercive conversion’.
The Constitution of Korea clearly states that all Koreans have freedom of religion. However, Shincheonji Church members in Korea experienced the violation of human rights by being forced to convert their religion under the government’s neglect of this situation for many years.
(Surprising fact: The coercive conversion pastors are still freely running their ‘business’).
What’s worse, the previous government made a scapegoat of Shincheonji Church accusing it of spreading COVID-19 during the early COVID-19 pandemic in Korea.
If you went through the period, you’ll remember that in the early COVID-19 pandemic, no one knew what carried the virus. Through water? Air? Body contact? No one knew how to prevent the infection. At that moment, the Korean government advised Koreans to ‘live your normal life’, and then accused Shincheonji Church. Although it wasn’t their intention to spread the virus (all they did was follow the government’s advice), Shincheonji Church officially and gravely apologised to Koreans at the press conference. Even after that, Shincheonji Church members faced physical and economic threats. They were bullied, killed, and fired from their workplaces.
Nevertheless, they were devoted to their nation. They provided various and localised volunteer services to neighbours in need, held memorial events to honour the patriots who protected the nation, donated blood to prevent the national blood shortage crisis, donated blood plasma to help develop a cure for COVID-19, etc. They loved their nation even though it persecuted them to death.
Then, what made them rise? It’s because the regional governor disgraced Korea, their beloved nation.
Human rights must be respected and protected no matter what. Let's hope Korea eliminates any form of religious oppression.
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