On December 28, approximately 50 prominent South Korean religious leaders issued a joint statement declaring the Presbyterian pastor Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon as a “public enemy” because of sacrilege and criminal activities. In recent months concerns and controversy are growing from his hate speech and anti-government activities.
The event was hosted by the Christian Federation of Anti-Corruption and Sponsored by the Pan-Religion Association. In the statement the religious leaders, “denounce Rev. Jun for the sins committing social conflict and division”. This is due to his remarks including, “God, if you mess around, I’ll kill you.”, “Islam and homosexuality are diseases,” and “Women say Satan’s words.”
In January 2019 Rev. Jun was elected as the President of the Christian Council of Korea (CCK). According to the CCK website, the CCK was established in 1989 and consists of 61 Denominations and 20 Christian organizations. This has given him more influence over conservative Christian groups.
Criticism against Rev. Jun from the religious world was triggered when he said, “Those who believe in Buddhism should go to prison or an uninhabited island.” In his inaugural speech as President of the CCK in February, he stated that his major task is to “block homosexuality, Islam, and Anti-discrimination laws.”
Back in October 2019 in front the Presidential Blue House, Rev Jun hurled insults and offensive curses at South Korean President Moon Jae-In. Rev. Jun has led an anti-government demonstration and insisted that President Moon is a spy for North Korea and that there are 500,000 followers of North Korea who are trying to “drive the country to ruin” by souring relations with the United States.
Massimo Introvigne, Italian sociologist and the director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), the largest international organization studying new religious movements, noted “the activities of the CCK and Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon are causing international concern. In addition to their radical political activities, the CCK and Rev. Jun are spreading religious intolerance in Korea and abroad through hate speech and discrimination against groups they label as ‘heretic.’”
Under the Korean Constitution there is a mandate for the separation of church and state. Collectively, the gathered Pan-Religious Leaders shared growing concerns of the CCK and Rev. Jun over the political activism, anti-religious, and anti-national remarks and behaviors. Ven. Hyewon, South Korean Representative of the World Buddhist Summit called him a “public enemy.”
