The Korean Church Association (HanGyoChong), a gathering of Protestant churches, has expressed concern over a legislative proposal known as the “Separation of Church and State Prevention Act” currently under discussion in the National Assembly. They worry the bill could infringe on the freedoms of traditional churches and religious practice. This bill, initiated by independent lawmaker Choi Hyuk-jin alongside the broader ruling coalition, is also called the “Unification Church and Shincheonji Prevention Law.” It aims to specify conditions for canceling permits for non-profit corporations and grant investigation authority to relevant administrative bodies. Specifically, it enables permit cancellation if a religious corporation violates the constitutionally-established principle of church-state separation or the Public Official Election Act through organized intervention.
While primarily targeting Shincheonji and the Unification Church, the bill has met with opposition from some Protestant circles, who frame it as a “Forced Dissolution of Religious Organizations Act” or a “Church Disbandment Law.” Sensing these sentiments, HanGyoChong acknowledged the imperative of upholding church-state separation and strict law enforcement against anti-social religious groups like Shincheonji and the Unification Church, as emphasized by the president. However, they caution against the regulation of religion through laws, stressing that such attempts could undermine constitutional values of religious freedom and separation of church and state. They advocate for a special law limited to targeting Shincheonji and the Unification Church, suggesting that grounds for dissolution should explicitly include illegal fundraising and human rights abuses, with decisions on dissolution made by courts rather than administrative bodies.