Shincheonji Church of Jesus’ Stance on the Cancellation of Its Reservation of Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri Park
“An act of tyranny that blatantly denies the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Korea has taken place. Gyeonggi-do and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization have committed an absolutely unjustifiable, unconstitutional, and illegal atrocity. Religious oppression—what is going on here?
“Where are Gyeonggi-do and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization trying to lead this country right now? Are they so blinded by their political gain that they are aiming to divide the people and split religions, ultimately bringing the Republic of Korea to ruin?
“We, Shincheonji Church of Jesus, rented the Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri Park in Paju, Gyeonggi-do from October 29th-31st with plans to hold a “Religious Leaders Forum and Graduation Ceremony” on the 30th. Tens of thousands of Korean and non-Korean graduates and religious leaders had already entered the country and finished preparing to participate in the event, which was to be a grand-scale, international event for which we invested a budget of tens of billions of won (10 billion South Korean won is approximately 7 million US dollars). On the morning of the day we had reserved the park, however, the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization unilaterally canceled our booking without so much as a word to us. This is not lawful treatment of the people in a democracy, but rather, it is conduct that gravely tarnishes the dignity of the Republic of Korea. How should we explain this to the religious leaders and graduates who had already entered the country from around the world? The Republic of Korea, which promotes the Korean wave and emphasizes globalization, is disgracing its international reputation with religious oppression. Do you want Shincheonji Church of Jesus to mount a demonstration?
“We handled all administrative procedures legally. After receiving approval to rent the park on July 22nd, we paid the rental fees in full on October 2nd. On October 16th, we held an administrative meeting covering such things as the scale of the event, the seating chart, safety plans, and the use of special effect fireworks, and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization examined all the details of the event and completed its review of its safety inspection. In particular, that same day it came out that Gyeonggi-do named the entirety of the city of Paju a danger zone. Nevertheless, we were told that this was a measure taken to prevent the distribution of North Korean flyers and had nothing to do with our event, nor did we receive any kind of prior notice or restrictions regarding this. Furthermore, the officials in charge publicly confirmed on both October 23rd and 28th that they had no intention of cancelling our reservation.
“By canceling our reservation on the day it was scheduled—despite having already completed the safety review—due to opposition from a particular religious organization, they undermined the credibility of their own administration, and their behavior created a division between the people and caused national disunity. In addition, the Governor of Gyeonggi-do, Dong-Yeon Kim, used the pretext—a mere façade—that our event would provoke North Korea and ordered the cancellation of our reservation. Yet, other events held at the same facility encountered no issues whatsoever. The administrative measures taken due to the opposition from this religious organization are a blatant violation of the constitutional principle of the separation of church and state and reflect unconstitutional behavior unquestionably intolerable in a democracy.
“Are Gyeonggi-do and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization trying to drive Shincheonji Church of Jesus from this land? What kind of administration grants permission only to cancel it at the word of a certain religious organization? We are proud citizens of this country. Why must we face discrimination in the use of public facilities operated by our tax dollars?
“Enough is enough; we can be patient no longer. Do you want the hundreds of thousands of Shincheonji Church of Jesus saints to take to the streets? All this time, Shincheonji Church of Jesus made every effort to resolve issues peacefully, but if this is the outcome of such effort, then it is time for us to take to the streets for the sake justice and our rights.
“The members of Shincheonji Church of Jesus are not second-class citizens who can be ignored or discriminated against; there should be no second-class citizens in this country. Do you think that discrimination and oppression like this will bring peace to this country? Make no mistake.
“We issue this stern warning. Gyeonggi-do and Gyeonggi Tourism Organization: fully disclose the basis for the decision to cancel our reservation that the public can understand, and issue an official apology to all the saints of Shincheonji Church of Jesus and the dignitaries invited to the event from both Korea and abroad. Cease all administrative actions that discriminate against religion immediately. If you do not accommodate these requests, then we will take every possible legal action, and the hundreds of thousands of our saints will take to the streets. We will report the full extent of the reality of religious oppression occurring in South Korea to international human rights organizations, and we will pursue all possible legal measures, both civil and criminal.
“All citizens in this country are equal. The freedom of religion is not up for debate. Shincheonji Church of Jesus and all of its members will fight to the very end until the day when we can practice our faith freely and without discrimination in this country.”
