On Monday, November 18th, 2024, the Gyeonggi Tourism Organisation announced the cancellation of a rental approval for a religious event scheduled for the 30th of last month at Imjingak Peace Nuri in Paju. In response to this decision, the Shincheonji Church of Jesus held a protest rally on November 15th with approximately 25,000 believers in attendance.
According to Shincheonji, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organisation notified them of the cancellation on the 29th of last month, citing concerns about North Korea. The church stated that other events were also scheduled at Peace Nuri on the 30th of last month and accused the government of biased administration and religious oppression.
Lee Ki-won, General Secretary of the Shincheonji General Assembly, stated that the church had repeatedly asked related agencies about the event’s progress since Paju City was designated as a dangerous area due to tensions with North Korea. They were assured that there were no plans to cancel the event.
In preparation for the protest rally, the police deployed over 400 personnel from six mobile squads on the roads around Gwanggyo Central Park and the provincial government, where the believers had gathered. Some lanes of the road from Gate 2 of the provincial government to the north gate were blocked to avoid conflicts with the rally participants.
The Gyeonggi Tourism Organisation had previously cancelled the rental approval for the “Religious Leader Forum and Graduation Ceremony,” an event related to Shincheonji that was scheduled at Imjingak Peace Nuri on the 29th of last month. An official from the organization explained that the decision was made due to the gathering of more than 30,000 people at Imjingak Peace Nuri and the recent escalating tensions between North and South Korea.
On the 15th of last month, Gyeonggi Province designated three cities and counties, including Paju City, Gimpo City, and Yeoncheon County, as “dangerous zones” in an effort to block the spread of leaflets to North Korea.
After the protest rally, Shincheonji plans to deliver a letter of protest to Gyeonggi Province, demanding an official apology and compensation for the damage caused by the cancellation of the event.
This news story was distributed by https://pressat.co.uk/.