Jeon Kwang-hoon

Jeon Kwang-hoon
전광훈
Jeon Kwang-Hoon giving a lecture at SarangJeil Presbyterian Church
Born	(1956-03-28) 28 March 1956 (age 68) Uiseong, North Gyeongsang, South Korea
Nationality	South Korean
Alma mater	Daehan Theological University
Occupation(s)	Pastor, politician
Political party	Independent
Korean name
Hangul	전광훈
Hanja	全光焄
Revised Romanization	Jeon Gwang-hun
McCune–Reischauer	Chŏn Kwanghun
Signature

Jeon Kwang-hoon or Jun Gwang-hoon (Korean: 전광훈; Hanja: 全光焄, born 28 March 1956) is a South Korean pastor and politician. He is the incumbent President of the Christian Council of Korea. He was also the former President of the now-defunct Party of Practice of Christian Love,^[1] as well as one of key figures to found the Christian Liberal Party.^[2] He is head pastor at Sarang Jeil Church [ko] in Seoul, South Korea, and is known for his conservative political activism against the Moon Jae-in administration.^[3][4]

Jeon Kwang-hoon was born in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang, in 1956.^[2] He attended to Kwangwoon Electronics Technical High School in Seoul.^[2] He received a bachelor's degree in theology at Daehan Theological University and a master's degree in Anyang University.^[2]

He is mentioned in many major South Korean media outlets as a far-right pastor.^[5][6][7][8] The New York Times described Jeon as a populist, pointing out similarities to Western right-wing populism.^[9]

He is officially an independent but is practically recognized as a member of the Christian Liberty Unification Party. He said the only thing that could blow up homosexuals and Juchesasangpas was CLUP, and appealed for support.^[10]

• At a rally in Daegu in 2005, Jeon said, "if female believers take off their underwear for me, they are one of my believers, and if they don't, they are shit," and led to the so-called "panties controversy." After the fact, in an interview with the Hankyoreh, he explained how the true intent of his statement was very much distorted.^[11]
• During the time of the 2007 Presidential election in South Korea he made various statements interfering with the election, including the statement, "if you do not vote for Elder Lee Myung-bak, you will be erased from the book of life," leading to criticism from many citizens and believers alike.^[12]
• In March 2020, Jeon was indicted over allegations of violating South Korean election law. According to the allegations, he encouraged supporters to vote against Moon at a rally outside of the official campaigning period. He was released on bail on the condition that he not take part in rallies related to his pending case.^[4][13]
• During the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, Jeon's church defied outbreak control measures, and was prohibited from gatherings.^[14]
• On 18 August 2020, the South Korean health ministry and Seoul city government filed separate criminal complaints against Jeon following his activity in organizing Liberation Day rallies in Seoul. He is accused of hindering infection control efforts by discouraging worshipers from getting tested, under-reporting church membership to health authorities, and attending rallies while under a quarantine order.^[15][13] Jeon's lawyers and Sarang Jeil Church have denied the allegations.^[16][17] From 13 August 2020 to 18 August 2020, the church was tied to more than 300 confirmed cases of COVID-19 transmission, leading to a tightening of social distancing rules in Seoul.^{[4][15][13][17]} Jeon himself, although asymptomatic, tested positive for the disease.^[4][15]
• On 3 September 2024, The Seoul Northern District Court overturned a previous not-guilty verdict and ruled in favor of the Seoul Metropolitan Government on September 3, regarding the case against Sarang Jeil Church (founded by Pastor Jun Kwang-hoon) for violating COVID-19 regulations by holding in-person services during the pandemic. The appellate court stated that considering the lack of knowledge about COVID-19 at the time and the absence of vaccines, the decision to ban gatherings entirely was aimed at protecting public health and did not unjustly infringe upon religious freedom. The court further explained that the actions taken by the church could have undermined the efforts of the state and citizens to prevent and control the spread of the virus during the early stages of the pandemic. In response, the church immediately announced its intention to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.^[18]
• Members of the Sarang Jeil Church, led by Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon, have been sentenced to prison for using Molotov cocktails and steel pipes to obstruct the lawful execution of a court order during the eviction process by the Jangwi District 10 Redevelopment Association in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul.^[19]
• Jun Kwang-hoon claimed that Yoido Full Gospel Church conducted a full survey of its members after the April 10, 2024, general election, alleging that the majority voted for the Liberty Unification Party. However, Yoido Full Gospel Church strongly denied these claims, stating that they are not true.^[20]