SPOTLIGHT 25/09/01 Korean court upholds ruling against neo-Christian sect

[성기화 요셉]

A lower court had revoked its fraudulently obtained permit to use building for religious purposes

Lee Man-hee (second from left), leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, addresses believers during a Bible Seminar on July 12 at Cheongju, South Korea. (Photo: shincheonji.org)

By UCA News reporter

Published: September 02, 2025 11:52 AM GMT

Updated: September 02, 2025 11:54 AM GMT

A South Korean city’s mayor has welcomed an appeals court's upholding a ruling that revoked a neo-Christian sect’s fraudulently obtained permit to use a building for religious purposes.

Mayor Lee Dong-hwan of Goyang City welcomed the ruling against the Shincheonji Church of Jesus’ appeal, the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper reported on Sept. 1, citing the mayor’s office.

“This ruling holds significant meaning as it reaffirms through the judiciary that the city's decision to resolve community conflicts and resident concerns while safeguarding public safety and quality of life was justified,” Lee said.

Earlier on Aug. 29, Judge Koo Hoe-geun of the Seoul High Court upheld a previous ruling of the Uijeongbu District Court against Shincheonji.

The group had filed the lawsuit against the Mayor of Goyang City to overturn the city's revocation of the “permit for change of use” of a building.

In a statement, the Goyang City Mayor’s office said that the permit to use the building owned by Shincheonji for religious purposes was obtained through fraudulent means.

“The [owners of the] building in question had applied for a change of use to a religious facility in 2018,” the mayor’s office said.

“But it was rejected during the architectural review due to issues like parking and safety,” the mayor’s office added.

In 2023, another application was filed seeking a permit “under an individual's name, circumventing the building review process by targeting only part of the second floor of the building,” it added.

Goyang City officials had approved the permit for a change of use in August 2023, but after uncovering the fraudulent means used, they revoked the permission in December of that year.

Following the permit cancellation, the Shincheonji officials filed an administrative lawsuit against Goyang City, demanding the revocation of the city's cancellation of its establishment permit.

The group had claimed that the Goyang City administration had “discriminated against [it] on the basis of being a specific religion.”

In February, the Administrative Division 1 of the Uijeongbu District Court, which initially tried the case, had ruled that the permit cancellation by the city officials was “justified,” while dismissing the case.

Lee told the Kyunghyang Shinmun that an appeal to the Supreme Court on the issue cannot be ruled out.

“We will thoroughly prepare legal countermeasures under any circumstances to protect citizens' safety and rights,” Lee added.