Kim Jong-hyuk, Chairman of the Korean Council of Churches, expressed regret on the 25th to Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who he visited to greet for his inauguration, over the special investigation team's search related to the Chae Sang-byung case.
Chairman Kim of the Korean Council of Churches said during a meeting with the Prime Minister that morning, "I regret the recent search conducted by the special investigation team regarding the church incident."
Earlier, the special investigation team related to Chae Sang-byung conducted a search on the 18th of the former 1st Marine Corps Division Commander Lim Seong-geun based on allegations of 'lobbying for rescue' on the pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church, Lee Young-hoon, and Kim Jang-hwan, Chairman of Far East Broadcasting.
Chairman Kim further noted, "The name change of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the abortion-related bill submitted by Representative Nam In-soon are matters that cause considerable embarrassment to the church."
Chairman Kim also requested attention to tax matters related to the property and activities of religious corporations and the change in the national holiday name from 'Christian Christmas' to 'Christmas'.
In response, Prime Minister Kim said, "I believe that the church and government should discuss our community's issues together," adding that "not only Christianity, but also Catholicism and Buddhism, which are the representative religions of our society, have played significant roles up to now in addressing issues such as low birth rates, the problems of social弱者, national unity, and inter-Korean relations."
He added, "We will create various discussion tables to resolve socially difficult issues."