President Lee Jae-myung said the organized political involvement of religious foundations violates the Constitution and directed officials to "review institutional measures so that even dissolution orders for religious foundations are possible."
At a Cabinet meeting on the 2nd, Lee referred to the principle of separation of religion and state and stressed that it is "a truly important constitutional decision."
Lee said, "Acts that violate this are not merely deviations but grave matters that damage the Constitution and constitutional order," adding, "If the principle of separation of religion and state does not actually function and violations are left unchecked, not only will constitutional order be shaken, but it could also escalate into a level of social conflict close to religious war."
Lee cited a case in Japan where a religious foundation that violated the principle of separation of religion and state was ordered dissolved. He directed officials to "seriously review institutional responses as well."
Cho Won-chul, head of the Ministry of Government Legislation, who attended the Cabinet meeting, said, "We at the Ministry of Government Legislation will conduct a review," adding, "As far as I know, nothing has been reviewed yet."
Lee did not name a particular religion, but he appeared to have the Unification Church in mind, which is under a special counsel investigation over suspicions that it delivered illegal political funds to the People Power Party recently. In response, Kim Nam-joon, Spokesperson for the presidential office, said, "It is not appropriate to mention a specific religion, but the principle of separation of religion and state is common sense and basic to running a nation," adding, "A society is healthy and fair when actions carry responsibility."
At the Cabinet meeting, Lee also called for tougher penalties for state violence crimes. He said, "In principle, I believe the statute of limitations for state violence should be excluded," adding, "In cases such as overturning the country by staging a military coup or infringing on individual human rights through state power, they should be punished as long as they live, as Nazi war criminals were."