Religious Leaders Condemn Religious Oppression in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
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Religious freedom is under threat in South Korea.
On November 27th, religious leaders and organisations gathered in front of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office to demand justice. Why?
The issue began when the international event 'Religious Leaders' Forum and Graduation Ceremony for Peace, Freedom, and Unification' scheduled for the 30th of last month at the Imjingak Peace Nuri Park in Paju was suddenly cancelled on the day by the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, even though it had stated until the day before that there were "no plans to cancel." Despite months of preparations, the event, which was scheduled to welcome 30,000 attendees from 78 countries, was cancelled last minute under alleged pressure from vested groups.
Religious leaders worldwide have condemned this act as a clear violation of South Korea’s constitutional right to freedom of religion, defining this as biased administration that yielded to pressure from a particular Christian group.
A joint protest statement was signed by 402 organisations (from Korea and overseas), 758 religious leaders, including Protestants, Buddhists and Catholics, and 977 opinion leaders. The statement demands an official apology from Gyeonggi authorities, accountability through appropriate disciplinary action, fair policies to ensure unbiased venue management, and preventive measures to stop future discrimination.
Venerable Yong-Hyeon (69), a member of the Hwaeom Order of Korean Buddhism, who read the statement on behalf of all religious leaders, personally delivered an envelope containing 1735 ‘protest statements’ to the head of the tourism industry division of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government. He asserted, “Using public power to suppress a specific religion is a violent administrative act that seriously violates the basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution.”
Religious freedom is for everyone, no matter one's faith. When authorities give in to pressure and suppress this right, it threatens democracy and human rights for all. Let’s stand for justice and equality! Together, we can protect religious freedom in South Korea.
Sources: vo.la/ndgmaE vo.la/YlTuRK
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