Police have decided not to refer Pastor Jun Kwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church to prosecutors on charges of inciting insurrection, after he was identified as the figure behind the disturbance at the Seoul Western District Court.
According to police on the 28th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Security Investigation Division detained and referred Pastor Jun to prosecutors on the 22nd, but closed the case without referral on charges of occupational embezzlement, incitement and propaganda for insurrection, and instigation of a riot.
Pastor Jun had faced allegations that he incited insurrection among an unspecified number of citizens, including by saying during the process of issuing an arrest warrant for former President Yoon Suk-yeol at the Western District Court last year that "with the proclamation of the people's right to resist, constitutional institutions such as the National Assembly, the National Election Commission, and the Constitutional Court can be dismantled, and if the suspension of duties is lifted, the president can again newly declare martial law."
In this regard, police decided not to refer the case, determining that no specific directive or order amounting to violent acts that could reach the level of insurrection was confirmed.
On the charge of instigating a riot, it was reported that authorities judged the principal offender of the riot could not be specified, considering that those who trespassed into the Western District Court have already been indicted for special building trespass and charges of obstructing special official duties and received rulings up to the appellate court.
Regarding the occupational embezzlement allegation, police determined it was difficult to recognize the charge, comprehensively considering that donations collected through multiple offering accounts were mixed and deposited into a specific church account, making it hard to pinpoint the timing and source of any embezzled funds, and that there is no precedent recognizing occupational embezzlement for funds executed under the church's bylaws.
Earlier, in connection with the disturbance at the Western District Court, police sought an arrest warrant for Pastor Jun on charges including instigating special building trespass. The court issued the warrant on the 13th, saying there was a risk of destroying evidence and fleeing, and on the morning of the 22nd police detained and referred Jun to the Western District Prosecutors' Office.